You might even contaminate inadvertently. And you'll never get it as dry as it was originally. When available, veggies grown closer to home are fresher. Vegetables harvested in Tennessee are in the stores one to two days after harvest. Those shipped in from California are already five to seven days old.
Nothing lasts forever and vegetables are perishable by nature.
Lettuce-type produce especially won't last more than a week or so, no matter how it is handled. But give us time, Draughon says with a smile. Researchers are improving food all the time. Not just in the vegetables, but in the package as well. Though it may look deceptively simple, that clear film or plastic box has been carefully engineered to keep the product as fresh and good as possible, says Dr. John Mount, a researcher with the UT Agricultural Experiment Station.