Inflation Fighter

Escalating food costs make it more important than ever to shop smart and prevent spoilage. Storing fruit and vegetables in special green bags limits deterioration over longer periods of time — without altering taste and texture.

Storing fruit and vegetables seems like a simple enough proposition, but for most RVers, there is a certain amount of spoilage that translates into a waste of money and more runs to the grocery store to replenish food. The Internet is chock-full of products designed to store food, including the more common plastic bags and containers (which, at the least, may help you stay organized). Most containers, however, are bulky, taking up precious space in the smallish confines of a typical RV refrigerator.

My wife, Lynne, discovered the solution to spoiled produce many years ago — special green storage bags designed to prolong the life of fruit and vegetables. The first ones were marketed without much hype, and we were told that they were invented in Japan. Nowadays these bags are marketed under the Debbie Meyer Green Bags moniker and are readily available on the Internet (debbiemeyershop.com).

Debbie Meyer Green Bags are readily available on Amazon in various size packages. The 20-bag option has eight medium, eight large and four X-large bags. These special storage bags absorb ethylene gas that is emitted during the natural ripening process, which prevents fruit and vegetables from spoiling. The bags are BPA-free and made in the U.S.

It’s hard to imagine how bags can make such a difference in produce longevity, but they extend freshness for many days — and in some cases, even weeks. Fruit and vegetables release ethylene gases as they ripen naturally, which promotes aging and spoilage. The bags somehow absorb these gases, thereby isolating the produce during storage, which prevents premature spoilage. While the bags can be used to store produce inside the refrigerator on a shelf, the big side benefit is the ability to compress filled bags into the limited space in the refrigerator’s crisper drawer. There’s no doubt that storing produce in bags is more space efficient than using containers.

The process is quite simple. Fill a bag with one type of fruit or vegetable (don’t mix), twist the open end and fold over. You should not use twist-ties or plastic clips because they can damage the plastic. Also, the produce must be dry before placing in a bag. We’ve found that the best method is to load the produce directly from the shopping bag and wash each item before eating.

After loading the bag with produce, the end can be twisted and folded down to keep the contents secure. Do not use twist-ties or plastic clips, which may damage the bag. Fruit and vegetables should be dry when loading the bags and should not be mixed with dissimilar produce.

Know that the bags will naturally collect moisture and should be wiped out with a paper towel as needed. As a matter of fact, we wash the bags and place them over a cup or similar item and allow them to air dry. While the instructions on the Debbie Meyer bags suggest the bags can be used several times, we’ve had some of our bags for the better part of a year and they still work fine.

Debbie Meyer Green Bags are available in 20-, 32- and 40-bag packages; we bought the 20-bag version on Amazon for $11.99, which includes eight medium, eight large and four X-large bags. The larger bags are best for romaine lettuce, squash, cucumbers, apples and other similar size produce; the smaller bags are good for berries, etc. The company claims that bananas will last nine days, but we’ve yet to test that claim because we eat them too fast.

The bags can be wiped clean and allowed to dry for future usage. Here a bag was turned inside-out and placed over a tall cup to allow it to air dry. While the manufacturer does not recommend a time limit for the bags’ usefulness — other than suggesting that they can be reused several times — we’ve had some bags last up to a year with proper care.

When produce is stored in the Green Bags, every nook and cranny can be utilized for storage in the refrigerator’s crisper drawer; containers take up too much space.

The Green Bags are strong enough to withstand quite a bit of tossing around on the counter and in the refrigerator’s crisper drawer. They are BPA-free and made in the U.S. Based on today’s prices for produce, the Green Bags are a great investment; in our household we rarely see deterioration of fruits and vegetables — unless, alas, they ended up on the bottom of the drawer and we forgot they were there.