I've been using the "Green Bags" to keep my produce fresh. I understand the vacuum sealing works very well also. Is one better than the other? Also, what are some recommendations to keep liquids such as dressings and sauces from going bad in your refrigerator?

Thank You.

The best thing to do is eat the freshest produce possible. So instead of buying lots of stuff and then storing it, it is better to go shopping more often and buy fewer items. The same thing with sauces and dressings if you only make what you need, you don't have to worry about storing stuff for long periods of time.

fluteye,

I hate to tell you this, but as a trained cook I feel I must: eat stuff as close to purchase as possible. For most raw produce in its whole form, I'd say no more than five days if it requires refrigeration. You might be able to stretch it to longer if it's durable, like watermelon or cabbage, but not weeks and weeks. Room temp produce, like sweet and non-sweet fruit, no more than ten days, unless it was really underripe when purchased. Gourd squashes and the like can be stored for six months, but they are best eaten fresh if raw. I don't know about vacuum bags; we used them in school mostly for meat cuts that could withstand long freezing, because, hey, dead animal can't get much deader. But produce was turned over quickly. As for those produce "saver" bags: greens and bananas and other produce aren't supposed to last forever; rot is Nature's way of saying, "don't touch!"

Fluteye: I think the green bags would be your best bet, and least fuss. The above posters have a good point. If one is buying fresh produce to last 2 or 3 days, then the methods you use sound fine. As to dressings and sauces? Enzymatically, those suckers (like fresh juice) oxidize quickly...if not right away. If you must store them, simply make sure your sauces are acidic (like adding lemon juice) and storing in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Good luck!

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

green bags work well, not all of us can afford greens everyday

but..

I just use two fridges and countertop for storage..never have a problem with spoilage, I tend to only buy 1 or 2 types of produce at a time

vacuum sealers are a pain in the butt at times , try to keep smaller quantities around

otherwise anything that doesnt get eaten in time, i toss in the freezer for smoothies later, its not optimal but its more optimal then tossing in the garbage

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist