How to keep your prized $12 iceberg lettuce fresh with aluminium foil

With Australia’s cost of living crisis bearing down on shoppers and the price of iceberg lettuce ballooning to $12-a-piece, a crafty mum has shared her top tip for keeping the vegetable fresher for longer.

According to the grocery hacker wrapping your lettuce in aluminium foil after removing the plastic and then placing it in the crisper of your fridge will keep it fresh for weeks at a time.

It works by trapping the moisturise inside the foil so that the condensation drips back onto the lettuce, helping it to stay moist.  

But if you’re still not willing to fork out a pretty penny for lettuce, an Aussie dietitian has shared a range of other salad fillers that you could be eating instead. 

Susie Burrell, who has two honours degrees in nutrition and dietetics and psychology, said the darker and more colourful vegetable should be prioritised when budgets are tight

Susie Burrell, who has two honours degrees in nutrition and dietetics and psychology, said the darker and more colourful vegetables should be prioritised when budgets are tight.

Speaking to FEMAIL she explained frozen spinach and kale are much cheaper and have better nutritional profiles than the humble iceberg lettuce.

They can often be picked up for less than $3-per-kilo and are more versatile as they can be ‘used in everything’ from smoothies to bolognese, she explained.

‘When budgets are so tight you do not need to feel like you have to spend $12 for a salad to get your nutrition,’ she said.

‘Iceberg lettuce is very low in calories as it is mostly water, and while it does have some nutrients you aren’t getting much for your money with these inflated prices.’

A supermarket in suburban Brisbane was pictured selling a single head of iceberg lettuce for as much as $12.99 last month.

The price increase follows a wet start to the year with unprecedented rain and flooding spoiling crops in NSW and Queensland.

Some lettuce farmers in Queensland have lost their third crop in a row and risk the collapse of their businesses following the unseasonable rain.

The peak horticulture group warned growers in the state’s southeast will need millions to recover from the string of natural disasters.

What can you eat instead of lettuce? 

Susie’s top five replacements include:

Spinach, kale, rocket, cos and beetroot leaves.

She said these can be fresh or frozen and work in drinks like smoothies as well as meals like Bolognese and as chips. 

Fast food chains have also tweaked their menus following the huge price increase with KFC and Subway warning customers to expect a cabbage blend on their burgers.

Susie recommends buying cheap high-nutrient vegetables like carrots, spinach and kale for a ‘fraction of the price’.

And suggests putting on more vegetable roasts while salad prices remain strong.

‘If you do want salad for a sandwich then carrots and tomatoes are better options.’

She recommends buying canned and frozen vegetables to save money where you can.

‘You can buy canned tomatoes and beetroot, frozen spinach, kale and cauliflower and pick up carrots for $1-per-bag.

‘If you have some extra money for fresh vegetable after that you are best buying something very colourful to get the most out of it – rather than lettuce of cucumbers which are mostly water.’ 

A supermarket in suburban Brisbane was pictured selling a single head of iceberg lettuce for as much as $12.99 last month

A supermarket in suburban Brisbane was pictured selling a single head of iceberg lettuce for as much as $12.99 last month

Her ‘top five’ replacements for the popular vegetable include rocket, cos and beet greens as well as spinach and kale.

‘If you have picky kids you can make kale, carrot or zucchini chips,’ she suggested. ‘Or put them in a smoothie.’

Susie also recommends trying cauliflower in smoothies as well.

‘Try a few florets if you are trying to get the more vegetables into their diet,’ she said. 

Susie said other expensive produce, like tomatoes and beetroot, can be switched out for canned varieties to save money.

Her advice comes after a steep increase in the cost of fruit and vegetables across the country.

Susie with Leanne Ward, left. The dietitians co host The Nutrition Couch podcast

Susie with Leanne Ward, left. The dietitians co host The Nutrition Couch podcast

One video appearing to show two women piling their trolley with ‘free’ loose lettuce leaves has divided the internet, some commenters outraged at the pair while others have defended their actions. 

TikTok user James Longstaff posted the video, captioning the now-viral footage ‘literally pulling off the green pieces of every iceberg lettuce…’

The video showed the women at a lettuce stand in what appeared to be a Coles branch in Western Australia.

The women’s trolley was already full of lettuce leaves when the video began. 

While one woman pulled the outside leaves off the heads of iceberg lettuce and put them in the trolley, the other then put the leaves into plastic bags. 

She was then seen pulling another bag off to use while a passerby stared at her, wondering what was going on. 

The exorbitant price of lettuce lately struck a chord with some commenters, who blasted the women for having ‘no regard for anyone’. 

A second pointed out that it’s not the shop that’s losing out, but everyone who wanted an iceberg lettuce. 

‘Lettuce is sold by “each” not weight, so they’re actually stealing from everyone who buys a lettuce after them.’

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