# "Green Bags" Anyone used something like this? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 17, 2019, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-bags-anyone-used-something-like-this/834134 "2019-05-17T23:24:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zuer-coli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ba9def/32.png) [@zuer-coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuer-coli)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-bags-anyone-used-something-like-this/834134/1 "2019-05-17T23:24:15Z")
Greetings all, Here is a link to what I’m talking about: [https://www.ebay.com/i/283162615046?chn=ps](https://www.ebay.com/i/283162615046?chn=ps) I got in a discussion about Strawberries going bad in the 'fridge. The other person mentioned that they used what they described as “yellow” bags. This person went on to say that when they put their fresh fruits and vegetables in those bags, the fruits and vegetables stayed fresh. They didn’t provide any elaboration as to how much longer their fruits and vegetables lasted. The link above is as close as a brief search discovered. I will say the: As seen on TV! Does not inspire great confidence. So if anyone has a thought they would like to share, please do. I also want to say thank you for sharing your thoughts. Before folks pile on me for storing fresh fruit and vegetables in plastic bags and in a refrigerator. I did do some web searching on the subject, the sources I found all were in agreement that storing fresh fruits and vegetables in sealed plastic bags was a bad practice. I’m going to order some plastic mesh bags as the same sources that depreciated storage in sealed plastic bags, also recommended mesh bags. I will also think about how best to store fresh fruit and vegetables in light of the new information I’ve received. Thank you, respectfully yours Zer-coli ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-bags-anyone-used-something-like-this/834134/2 "2019-05-17T23:58:57Z")
The supermarkets near me supply them as well as the usual clear bags. Supposedly they breathe better. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2019, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-bags-anyone-used-something-like-this/834134/3 "2019-05-18T02:56:08Z")
Those green bags work well. I love them. They work by absorbing [ethene](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene) (or “ethylene”, the older term that plant biologists still often use, for some reason.) Whatever you call it, it’s a gaseous hormone that promotes fruit ripening. As fruits ripen, they give off ethene, which then gets fruit nearby to ripen. As those fruits ripen, they give off more ethene, in a positive feedback loop that can lead to over-ripening and rotting pretty quickly. Absorbing ethene leads to less ripening, which leads to fruit lasting longer in your fridge. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2019, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-bags-anyone-used-something-like-this/834134/4 "2019-05-18T03:06:12Z")
I use cereal bags; they work quite well for me. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2019, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-bags-anyone-used-something-like-this/834134/5 "2019-05-18T12:18:11Z")
I’ve been using them for over a decade, they’re great! But the replacement ones, I bought last year, don’t work quite as well as the original. I don’t use them for everything, just things that seem to go off quickly for me, like yu choy or other Chinese veg/leafy green. (I don’t really use them for fruit though, I don’t really have an issue with most fruit.) ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2019, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-bags-anyone-used-something-like-this/834134/6 "2019-05-18T15:37:51Z")
Yeah, they work. I used them for years until I found [GreenSaver keeper](https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-GreenSaver-Produce-Keeper/dp/B00TO8X0BA/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=vegetable+keeper&qid=1558193752&s=gateway&sr=8-7) that I like much more. I have a couple different sizes of these that live in the fridge and they work as good if not better than the bags. When I’m prepping veggies I just put them out on the counter so I can easily grab what I need for a salad or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2019, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-bags-anyone-used-something-like-this/834134/7 "2019-05-20T14:58:13Z")
I bought a set of green plastic storage containers for produce. They came with the green bags as well. I’ve used the containers for years. The bags not as much just because I don’t want to throw them away after using them and it’s kind of a pain to wash and wait for them to dry. I’ve had pretty good luck with the containers. Produce seems to last about a week longer than usual. I also recently bought some Rubbermaid produce containers. They’re not green but have air vents and a grid on the bottom that keeps the fruit slightly elevated. They work well also. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2019, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-bags-anyone-used-something-like-this/834134/8 "2019-05-20T15:50:23Z")
> [@zuer-coli](#): > > I got in a discussion about Strawberries going bad in the 'fridge. The other person mentioned that they used what they described as “yellow” bags. This person went on to say that when they put their fresh fruits and vegetables in those bags, the fruits and vegetables stayed fresh. They didn’t provide any elaboration as to how much longer their fruits and vegetables lasted. Give your strawberries a \*\*\*vinegar bath \*\*\*before storing them and your strawberries will last up two weeks in the fridge. > **[How to Store Strawberries For Up To Two Weeks](https://www.berries.com/blog/how-to-store-strawberries)** > > The best way to have fresh and delicious strawberries is by storing them properly. Our how-to guide makes it quick and easy to keep your strawberries fresh up to two weeks. ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-bags-anyone-used-something-like-this/834134/9 "2019-05-21T20:28:49Z")
Just to provide a different opinion . . . Several years ago, when they were a big fad, I bought some green bags. They were worse than useless. I used them for fruit like bananas, tomatoes, and berries, and I’d say that the fruit went bad faster in the bag than out of it. I wound up using most of the bags for cleaning the cat box.