Here’s What to Do With Spinach So It Stays Fresh Longer

Buying spinach often feels like a race against the clock.

You buy a bag, vowing this time will be different. You won’t be forced to throw a half-full bag of sad, wilted leaves away at the end of the week. But inevitably, it happens, again and again.

Fresh spinach has a shelf life of between five and seven days. Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do once spinach goes bad. If you open the bag and the leafy veg has wilted and developed a slimy residue, don’t eat it .

Although some foods can be salvaged after they’ve started to go bad (like bananas, avocados and pears), spinach is not one of them. Because of its high moisture content, it can be the perfect home for foodborne illness.

Luckily, there are a few ways you can store it, preserve it and use heaping handfuls of it throughout your week.

How to Store Spinach So It Lasts Longer

Moisture is what makes spinach go bad so quickly, so the best way to keep it fresh is to immediately store it in an airtight container as soon as you get it home.

The Natural Nurturer recommends adding layers of paper towels to the container. Some people even suggest adding a couple of slices of bread to the container for added moisture control.

How to Freeze Your Spinach So You Don’t Ruin It

If you know you’ve bought more spinach than you could possibly eat in a week, you can also freeze it and use it for nine to 14 months.

You won’t be able to serve the thawed leaves in a salad, but it works perfectly for smoothies, pasta dishes or quiche recipes and tastes better than the store-bought frozen alternatives.

That said, if you want to freeze your spinach, do it fast. If the leaves start to wilt before you freeze them, they will taste bitter.

HGTV suggests cleaning, drying and trimming the leaves before getting started. After that, you may want to blanch the leaves. You can either blanch the leaves normally or steam blanch them.

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