# Prolonging the shelf life of dandelion?



## mini_max (Jan 26, 2015)

Is there any trick to getting dandelion leaves to last longer in the fridge? No matter what I do they start to wilt in after a day.


----------



## Yvonne G (Jan 26, 2015)

...and turn black not too many hours after that. I've tried cutting off a small portion of the stem and sitting them in a glass of water. They last a little longer that way, but not much.


----------



## mini_max (Jan 26, 2015)

Exactly. I'll try keeping them in some water. 

They only come in these gigantic bunches which of course are not cheap, and it just kills me to throw away almost the whole thing.


----------



## inkling13 (Jan 26, 2015)

I keep my greens in a lettuce saver like this on amazon. It has a reservoir in the bottom, underneath the part that holds the greens, that you fill with a thin layer of water. There are ventilation holes between the water area and the greens area so the humidity stays up without actually soaking the leaves. There's also an adjustable vent on the front to release some humidity if necessary. I've found this works pretty well for me. I can keep a large bunch of lettuce or dandelion greens from the grocery store for 5-6 days with very little spoilage, by then we're usually finishing them off and need a fresh batch anyway. I actually need to buy a new one of these myself, I melted the rubber top of mine in the dishwasher recently, it was a very sad day...


----------



## Jodie (Jan 26, 2015)

I also have found the lettuce keeper to be very valuable. Mine spins to remove excess water. I can then keep the greens in a large Tupperware container for several days.


----------



## wellington (Jan 26, 2015)

I just use the crisper drawer in my frig. Cover greens unwashed with a damp towel. They last a long time. Wash just before feeding which will also add water to your tort. As for dandelions, I too have not been able to make them last very long. They do last longer in the manner that I keep the rest of my greens, but still not as long as regular greens. Maybe if you hang them upside down like you would to dry flowers and dry them.


----------



## Yellow Turtle01 (Jan 26, 2015)

Mine last a few days! I didn't know this was real issue. 
I buy about a bunch a week from Giant Eagle, and I store all my greens in the veggie drawer, because it's 'fresher'.


wellington said:


> I just use the crisper drawer in my frig. Cover greens unwashed with a damp towel. They last a long time. Wash just before feeding which will also add water to your tort. As for dandelions, I too have not been able to make them last very long. They do last longer in the manner that I keep the rest of my greens, but still not as long as regular greens. Maybe if you hang them upside down like you would to dry flowers and dry them.


A bit of info to add on the drying 
With all the weeds dead here, in the winter, last fall I was trying to think up ways to supplement mr russians diet, so I asked about dried greens. @ascott helpfully said that dried greens do lose lose nutritional value, but not enough that it wouldn't be supplemental 
So I decided to dry some plantain before winter. I laid it out in the sun and it got crisped within a few days. I tried adding some mixed in with his other greens, to see if he'd eat it, and he avoided the large pieces. So, I crumbled them up and tried again! He did eat 'some' of the flakes, but not enough to be beneficial, because they just flaked down to bottom... and he certainly didn't go back for them!


----------



## keepergale (Jan 26, 2015)

mini_max said:


> Exactly. I'll try keeping them in some water.
> 
> They only come in these gigantic bunches which of course are not cheap, and it just kills me to throw away almost the whole thing.


My purchased dandelion bunches are usually sprayed at the grocery store. When stored damp it will go bad fast. I dry it with paper towels before storage and it lasts just fine.
My wild dandelion gets used the day I cut it but I am struck by how rapidly it starts wilting.


----------



## wellington (Jan 26, 2015)

Yellow Turtle01 said:


> Mine last a few days! I didn't know this was real issue.
> I buy about a bunch a week from Giant Eagle, and I store all my greens in the veggie drawer, because it's 'fresher'.
> 
> A bit of info to add on the drying
> ...



I would try mixing the dried weed with the favo foods and spritz with water so they stick to the favorite food.


----------



## Yellow Turtle01 (Jan 26, 2015)

wellington said:


> I would try mixing the dried weed with the favo foods and spritz with water so they stick to the favorite food.


I didn't think of trying to make them stick!  I do not any more dried plantain, but I could try and dry dome dandelions now


----------



## ascott (Jan 26, 2015)

Yellow Turtle01 said:


> Mine last a few days! I didn't know this was real issue.
> I buy about a bunch a week from Giant Eagle, and I store all my greens in the veggie drawer, because it's 'fresher'.
> 
> A bit of info to add on the drying
> ...




You can also place plain white paper towels in with the dandi's and then close up the bag....then be sure to turn the bag a couple times each day...I kinda shake up the container and fluff em some...they just do go bad quicker but you can prolong their fluff for a couple days by turning and including the paper towel to absorb/soak up any rot juice that the plant puts off as it is dying..


----------



## Yellow Turtle01 (Jan 27, 2015)

I wonder why they wilt so quickly!


----------



## HotdogKnight (Jan 27, 2015)

I've seen it done to keep bunches of flowers fresh, I assume it would work for similar plants. Placing them in a bowl or a container of water and freezing them - it doesn't make them instantly available but means you can store some for future use.


----------



## Grandpa Turtle 144 (Jan 27, 2015)

Jodie said:


> I also have found the lettuce keeper to be very valuable. Mine spins to remove excess water. I can then keep the greens in a large Tupperware container for several days.


As Jodie says I found its the water that makes the cut up vegys go bad so I run my Zoo Med grassland tort food through a coffee grinder and sprinkle it over my vegys to collect the water and my cut up vegys last over a week .


----------



## ascott (Jan 27, 2015)

Yellow Turtle01 said:


> I wonder why they wilt so quickly!




http://www.motherearthnews.com/real...o-with-dandelions-zbcz1405.aspx#axzz3Q5zJyJvY

Just a fine link...


----------



## taza (Jan 28, 2015)

I save the containers that spring mix comes in, I cut up the bunch of dandelions i got at the store wash then in a spinner for greens and they last quite a while.


----------



## jeffjeff (Jan 28, 2015)

i keep them in a air tight tub in the fridge they last a few days. has any one tried vac packing weeds for winter?


----------



## Grandpa Turtle 144 (Jan 28, 2015)

jeffjeff said:


> i keep them in a air tight tub in the fridge they last a few days. has any one tried vac packing weeds for winter?


When greens decompose they give off gases and moisture that's why I put Zoo Med grassland tortoise food powder on them to collect the moisture to cut down on the decomposition . And it helps the greens to last over a week.


----------



## ascott (Jan 28, 2015)

Grandpa Turtle 144 said:


> When greens decompose they give off gases and moisture that's why I put Zoo Med grassland tortoise food powder on them to collect the moisture to cut down on the decomposition . And it helps the greens to last over a week.




Kinda like when you add a wad of paper towels to the bag...it will absorb the overall moisture....


----------

