Water hack that can help your fresh vegetables last 'three times as long' in the fridge

There's nothing more annoying than heading out to do your food shop for the week, putting everything away, then going to make dinner one night only to find the fresh produce starting to go off.

It can feel like you're literally throwing money away when you have to chuck out rotting fruit and veg, and it stings even more when you've only had them for a few days.

In the current cost of living crisis, this is less than ideal - but by changing the way you store certain products, you could help them to last weeks and weeks longer.

That's according to Lyssa Louise, a parenting TikTokker who has shared some of her most helpful tips on prolonging the life of fresh fruits and vegetables so you waste less and save money.

Recognising the impact of the current financial climate, she captioned her video: "I can't believe how much my food shops have become lately with the cost of living increasing so here's some tips I use to stop my fruit and veg going to waste."

And with over 59.5k views and counting, the clip is proving very popular with people who also want to slash their food waste and enjoy fresh food for longer.

In Lyssa's video, she named a simple way to keep vegetables fresh for 'up to three times as long' and all you need to do this is a simple glass of water. The 'main thing' to do first is to take everything out of the plastic packaging as this can often make things rot quicker.

For anything with a root, such as lettuce or spring onion, simply place it root-side down in a glass of water. Lyssa claimed this quick trick will help it to remain 'crispy' and prevent it from rotting or wilting before you get the chance to use it.

Similarly, when it comes to spinach, you can prevent this from going bad by lining a plate with paper towels and placing the leafy greens on top before putting it in the fridge. The paper will help absorb the moisture, preventing it from going soggy. Mushrooms should also be stored in a paper bag in the fridge for the same results.

And berries, which can be notorious for rotting fast, can be stored in lidded glass jars in the fridge to stop this from happening. You don't need to go out and buy them either - any leftover jar from jam, honey, mustard or anything else will do.

In the video's comments, people thanked Lyssa for sharing her tips and some even suggested ways to make them more effective.

One person said: "Such handy hacks! Saving this video for my next food shop day!"

To which Lyssa replied: "I found it’s made such a difference to how much I throw away. It also makes it easier to find things when they’re not in scrunched up bags."

And another suggested: "For the root veg you need to empty and refill the water every day or 2 or it'll go slimey."

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