Debbie Meyer Green Boxes: Are They Worth the Price?
Do These Green Boxes Really Keep Produce and Baked Goods Fresher Longer?
Nancy Tracy, Yahoo! Contributor Network Sep 20, 2008
With everybody and their brother going green these days, my refrigerator was starting to get jealous, so I decided to treat it to some Debbie Meyer Green Boxes. Actually, I was tired of throwing out brown, rusty lettuce; slimy mushrooms and moldy strawberries. At times it felt like I was putting dollars bills into a paper shredder, wasting expensive produce that seemed to have a life span shorter than that of a gastrotrich. While recovering from pneumonia last winter, I was channel surfing and saw the perky Debbie Meyer touting her green boxes on the Home Shopping Network. She claimed they kept produce and baked goods fresh far longer than those stored in traditional containers because of a special combination of "all natural minerals" that removes ethylene, an odorless gas emitted by ripening produce, which, ironically, hastens its spoilage.
The Debbie Meyer Green Boxes were expensive; a set of 20 costs about $50 when you include shipping. Pretty much a deal-breaker, I thought. But when I thought of all the produce and fresh bread that would go bad due to spoilage over a lifetime, I figured the Debbie Meyer Green Boxes could be a good investment. As a side bonus, the green boxes would encourage me to buy more fresh produce without making me feel like I was rolling the dice like a Las Vegas gambler every time I bought a head of lettuce.
For those familiar with the 20-piece set concept in cookware, 20 pieces of Debbie Meyer Green Boxes actually means 10 green boxes and 10 lids. Here are the sizes:
Two each:
9 oz. round containers and lids - measures approx. 3-3/4"L x 4-1/4"W x 2-1/2"H
6 qt. rectangular containers and lids - measure approx. 12"L x 6"W x 5"H each
One each:
16 oz. round container and lid - measures approx. 4-3/4"L x 5"W x 2-1/2"H
32 oz. round container and lid - measures approx. 5-1/2"L x 5-1/2"W x 3-1/4"H
48 oz. round container and lid - measures approx. 6-1/4"L x 6-1/4"W x 3-3/4"H
18 oz. square container and lid - measures approx. 5-1/2"L x 5-1/2"W x 1-1/2"H
32 oz. square container and lid - measures approx. 5-1/2"L x 5-1/2"W x 3"H
48 oz. square container and lid - measures approx. 7"L x 7"W x 21/4"H
The day the Debbie Meyer Green Boxes package arrived from the Home Shopping Network, I was excited to start testing my new "toys." I was a bit disappointed by the odd variety of green box sizes. The two rectangular green boxes were nice and large, perfect for lettuce or a loaf of bread. The rest of the green boxes seemed relatively small. Celery stalks, for example, would have to be cut in half to fit into a square green box.
After eight months of green box ownership, I do not regret my purchase. Lettuce, broccoli, berries, mushrooms and bread products stay wonderfully fresh two to three times as long as they used to. I am often amazed when I open one of the green boxes and see how fresh a fruit or vegetable is a week after being ignored in the refrigerator. I can buy a whole box of mushrooms, use only a few for a recipe, and still have fresh, dry mushrooms to cook with later in the week. Bread, too, stays fresh and mold free; the green boxes are perfect for more natural-type breads that lack preservatives.
One downside of Debbie Meyer Green Boxes is that the green color makes it difficult to see what is inside the container. A sticky note labeling system would probably solve this problem, although I have never bothered to implement something this practical (see Organized Schmorganized for psychological insight).
If you are the type of person who loves to shop at farmers markets, prefers fresh produce to frozen or canned, and enjoys fresh bread and other baked goods, Debbie Meyer Green Boxes are worth the high price tag and will spare you the guilt and aggravation of throwing away expensive produce and baked goods.
