FreshPaper Keeps Produce Longer

We tend to get a little carried away at the farmers' market this time of year, loading up our tote bags with as much asparagus, pea shoots and strawberries as we can carry.

But nothing kills the thrill of a market haul like opening the fridge a few days later and discovering that our carefully chosen produce has already started to turn mushy or moldy.

Enter FreshPaper by Fenugreen ($4 for a pack of eight; click here to buy). Stash one of the five-by-five-inch sheets in a produce container, bag or drawer, and the sheet will help keep the contents fresher longer. In an informal test, our strawberries stayed good about twice as many days with FreshPaper than without it.

These magical "dryer sheets for produce" are infused with a patented mixture of organic botanicals, including fenugreek, which inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungus and enzymes that cause food to break down. They're also chemical-free and compostable. 

Inventor Kavita Shukla, 27, devised the formula based on a home remedy her Indian grandmother gave her to treat an upset stomach. The Harvard grad is now working on ways to use her refreshingly low-tech discovery to improve the global food system.

So on your next market trip, don't hold back.