To Make Asparagus Last Longer In The Fridge, Store It Like A Bouquet

Different vegetables have different storage needs. Mushrooms should be kept in a paper bag, greens should be wrapped in a damp paper towel, and asparagus should be stored upright in water like a bouquet of fresh flowers. What, what?

A video on TikTok shows how this method is the best way to store asparagus for maximum freshness. Give the asparagus a rinse (you ought to clean it carefully anyway) and cut off the ends before placing it upright in a tall jar like a bouquet. Then, add a couple inches of cold water and store it in the fridge until you're ready to use. Coincidentally — or not — storing asparagus this way resembles how it grows straight up from the ground.

Asparagus will stay fresh for up to 10 days using this method. You may wish to go a step further and put a bag over the asparagus, loosely affixing it to the jar with a rubber band. If the water starts to look murky, change it promptly.

If you don't have space for a bouquet of asparagus in your fridge, storing it in the vegetable crisper is perfectly fine. Wrap the bunch in damp paper towels and place it in a plastic bag before slipping it into the drawer. Using this technique, you can get up to two weeks of freshness, though it just won't look as pretty.

If your "bouquet" starts to wilt or smell bad, that's clear sign it's starting to go bad. At that point, it's best to discard the asparagus. If you happen to catch it before it's too far gone and don't intend to use it right away, you can freeze it for later use, though this method will affect the crisp texture of fresh asparagus.

Storing your asparagus like a bouquet has other benefits beyond keeping the veg fresh. With so much excitement over the viral fridgescaping trend, why not arrange asparagus in a pretty mason jar to spruce up the old icebox? If you're going to do it, you may as well do it right.