A Genius (And Easy) Storage Trick That Will Keep Your Veggies Fresh

Realizing your precious produce has gone bad before you had a chance to use it is beyond frustrating. Luckily, if you have a few jars lying around (or any large glass container, for that matter) and a bit of water, you can virtually mitigate spoilage with this super-simple hack. Here are five vegetables that will stay fresh for substantially longer in your fridge with the help of a little H₂0:

Whether you're making celery juice or dipping it in hummus, celery is a great light snack to have on hand. Unfortunately, it can go limp quite fast. To prevent this from happening, cut off the very bottom of the stalks, and place the cut ends down in a glass with a few inches of water. From there, all you have to do is change the water every couple of days.

Asparagus can also turn relatively quickly. But if you chop off the woody ends, exposing the inner stalk, the asparagus can absorb water, keeping it fresh for longer. Place the cut ends down in your glass with a bit of water, and again, just be sure to change the water periodically.

Love fresh scallions and leeks but hate how quickly they turn? These, too, will last much longer if you store them in water rather than just leaving them in your fridge on their own. Remove any rubber bands holding the bunch together, and stand them in your glass with about an inch of water. You can also cover them loosely with a reusable produce bag (check out our faves here) for extra protection. As always, change the water every couple of days.

With carrots, whether whole or baby, you can actually totally submerge them in water to keep them fresh for quite some time. Cut the greens off the tops of whole carrots first (they suck out moisture), but don't peel them. Place them in a container big enough to completely cover them—whether that's lying them down in a glass food storage container, or upright in a large jar or pitcher. With carrots in particular, they'll last much longer in a container with a lid, though it's not entirely necessary. Change the water periodically.

Kitchen waste is a bummer—but with this helpful hack, you can minimize it! Not only is it functional, but there's also something aesthetically pleasing about your celery and asparagus on display in the fridge. Plus, it gives you something to do with all those empty jars cluttering your cupboards.