I admit, even though I hold the line on spending and avoid purchasing things that I see on those "as seen on TV" commericals, every once in awhile I see a product that looks like it might actually SAVE me some money. Case in point: Debbie Meyer Green Bags.
If you haven't seen the commercial, Debbie Meyer (whoever she is) shows off an assortment of green-tinted baggies that she says have been treated with a "special mineral" (whatever that is) which will help you save fresh produce much longer than you can in a regular food storage bag. Since my family purchases a lot of fresh produce, but we only do our grocery shopping once every 2 weeks, we do wind up throwing out some of the produce because of spoilage. When my wife spotted the green bags in one of those "As Seen on TV" stores at the mall, we decided to give them a try.
She purchased the Debbie Meyer Green Bags for about $9.99 and was eager to try them at home. She put all of our produce in the bags...fresh broccoli, bananas, green beans and lettuce. I have to admit, I was skeptical that any of the produce would last longer than the few days to a week that it usually takes to spoil unless we eat it right away.
After some time had passed, my wife pulled the broccoli out of the refrigerator and made a stir-fry. The broccoli was just as fresh and crunchy as the day we bought it at the grocery store. "How long have we had that broccoli?" I asked. I didn't remember purchasing any for awhile.
The answer? Three weeks.
Needless to say, I was pretty impressed. Broccoli usually starts to get a bit brown in the refrigerator after about a week. Using the Debbie Meyer Green Bags, we were able to triple the storage time. Other produce did last longer, but not quite that long. The bananas were still good after a couple of weeks, and the green beans were still crunchy after a couple of weeks, too. I noticed the lettuce also stayed fresh longer than usual. If you don't have a lot of freezer space for your fresh produce, or you have produce that doesn't freeze well, Debbie Meyer Green Bags are a good option.
The bags can be rinsed and reused, and are good for about 10 uses before they have to be replaced. However, when you take into account the amount of money saved by avoiding spoiled produce, they are well worth the cost.
So, do Debbie Meyer Green Bags work? Yes, they do.
Note: this product review is the opinion of Savvy Frugality and was not solicited by Debbie Meyer Green Bags in any way. I still don't know who Debbie Meyer is, but I love her green bags!
Does It Work? Debbie Meyer Green Bags
Posted by T | 12:56 PM | buyer beware, frugal living | 10 comments »
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THANK YOU for this post! I've been thinking of trying these bags, but afraid to put up the cash to discover they were your typical "as seeon on tv" scam.
I'm adding them to our "next time we're at the mall" list!
This is one of the few "as seen on TV" products that I recommend (I also bought my wife a set of knives from one of those commercials, which she swears by). Debbie Meyer also offers different colored bags for bread, cold cuts and cheese, which is supposed to keep them fresher longer. I haven't tried those yet.
I've never seen these in the UK, but they sound great! I wonder how they work. I'd also be interested to know if you think that they represent good value for money. $9.99 for some plastic bags seems like a lot: how many baggies do you get?
I purchased the Debbie Meyer green bags about a month ago and put all my produce in them. I bagged a green pepper, asparagus, romaine lettuce, sugar snap peas and a few other odds and ends. Well, today after 21 days I pulled the green pepper out and to my disbelief it was still as crisp and green as the first day I bought it! It was the same thing for all of my produce. As long as you follow the directions (make sure your whatever you put in the bags is dry) these will work wonderfully! I would recommend them to anyone trying to save money and produce!
I do think they work better on veggies vs. fruit. And you do need to follow the directions, keep an eye on moisture, etc. too. I do like them. However, most people don't know how to use their refrigerator crisper drawer and I do feel that adds to their negative results. I really like these bags myself. I found them at a Target for 9.99 and then saw them at a Walmart... they are starting to pop up all over the place now.
If memory serves, there were 20 odd bags in the one I got, two sizes and they were gussetted at the bottom, so more roomy.
I have tried the green bags for over a month and I am not impressed. They do not work on fruit at all, especially bananas! Mushy and wet were the results I got. And everything has an odd taste after coming out of the bag. Yuck. A little better luck was had on veggies in the fridge. Lettuce, however, spoiled at the normal rate.
I do NOT reccommend buying these bags, just another gimmick in time for the holidays!
This has not been my experience at all, and I have purchased additional Green Bags. It is important to remember than all produce must be DRY before you put it in the Green Bags. If they are moist or wet they will rot at the normal rate. I have noticed no difference in taste since switching to the Green Bags.
I bought two boxes of the Debbie Meyer green bags a week ago. I put half a bunch of bananas as directed into a green bag with the flap lightly closed over the top. The un-bagged half of the bunch was simply left on the table beside the green bagged bananas. To say I was very disappointed in the results is an understatement. Both bunches of bananas look identical one week later. The green bagged bananas aged just as fast as the unbagged bananas.
Also, I stored lettuce, carrots, and sweet peppers in separate green bags and put them in the refrigerator. The directions do say keep the bags dry, however the natural process of leaving produce in plastic attracts moisture quite rapidly. The only way to avoid the moisture is to change the bags about 6 times a day. These green bags are a rip off. I paid almost $10 each for two packages. I could have saved a lot of money but just buying plastic storage bags.
I'll never buy this product again.
Rip off in my opinion and the typical junk "as seen on tv."
M. Morris
Hi M. Morris,
That hasn't been my experience. My family has become regular purchasers of the green bags, and we have also started buying similar bags for bread and meat. Lately, we have been purchasing the generic versions of the bags, rather than the Debbie Meyer bags, but they work just as well. A few tips I can pass along:
1. All produce must be completely dry BEFORE it is placed in the bags. I think it also helps if the produce is cool before it is place in the bags, otherwise condensation could build up in the bags. If they produce gets wet, it will go bad just like the stuff put in regular plastic bags.
2. Some people have said that vegetables keep longer than fruit in the bags. I haven't noticed this myself. I like to keep lettuce in the bags, and it stays fresh for two to three weeks. It also works great on apples.
3. The bread bags are really good. The bread stays soft for at least two weeks in the bread bags, although by that point the stale taste does tend to set in, but the bread isn't dried out.
Note: My opinions on the Debbie Meyer green bags are my own opinions, and are not a paid endorsement. I have purchased several sets already, and they have saved me money and prevented food waste. I'm sorry you didn't experience similar results.
I just ate an apple that had been stored in my green bags. I bought them several weeks before I moved. I moved october 1, 2010. So nearly 2 months, and my apples are as red, crunchy, and delicious as the day they were bought. Two others that I received on November 1 are already browning.