20 Foods You Can Preserve in Pantyhose

Wearing pantyhose is something that has more or less gone by the wayside with the traditional 9 to 5 – but you shouldn’t toss your favorite pair of worn-out stockings just yet.

Did you know that you can easily preserve a large assortment of foods in a pair of pantyhose?

There are several benefits to doing so, and it’s a great way to extend the life of your garden’s harvest without having to invest in a ton of fancy equipment. Although you shouldn’t sneak a pair fresh out of the laundry basket, using a clean or new pair of light-colored pantyhose should do the trick quite nicely.

Here are 20 foods you can preserve in pantyhose – and tips on how to do it safely.

Onions

Onions are some of the easiest foods to preserve in pantyhose. Doing so will give your onions plenty of room to breathe and will also allow you to store your onions separately from other produce – you can simply pull them out as they are needed.

To store an onion in pantyhose, simply feed it through the leg of the hose until it reaches the foot. Tie it off around the ankle to keep it separated.

You can fill the entire leg with onions to maximize freshness but tie off just before each bulb to keep each one fresh – when stored this way, your onions should last around six months.

Garlic

Just like onions, garlic can also be stored in pantyhose. You’ll stash the bulbs in the hose in the exact same way.

Since they are much smaller than onions, this is a great use to recycle old children’s pantyhose, too.

Cucumbers

Feel free to drop a few cukes into an old pair of pantyhose – but don’t put them in the refrigerator. Believe it or not, cucumbers hate being cold, and anything colder than 50 degrees will cause them to spoil much faster. They’re sensitive to ethylene gas, too, so after you’ve stashed them in the hose, keep them far away from melons, tomatoes, and bananas.

Herbs

You can preserve any kind of herb in pantyhose. In fact, it helps you make a beautiful bouquet garni. All you have to do is wrap the herbs in the cloth, tie it off, and you’re ready to go. Just tie the top with butcher’s twine. You can also use these herb clusters to make your own teabags.

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Shallots

As with onions and garlic, shallots can also be stashed in pantyhose. They are quite tiny, so you may have better luck using smaller pantyhose (or those designed for children).

Apples

Apples are best stored in pantyhose when you’re trying to protect them from fruit flies.

Again, as with onions, your best bet will be to stash each apple separately, then tie the hose off just before the stem.

Oranges

Just like apples, oranges can also be stashed in a pair of tights. Don’t feel the need to stash them in your refrigerator – right on the counter is fine and dandy.

Cheese

Rather than wrapping your fresh cheese in cheesecloth, consider using a pair of pantyhose. It’s far more economical and will work just as well.

Melons

Melons can be stored in pantyhose after they’ve been plucked from the vine. Believe it or not, most kinds of melons do not need to be refrigerated, and stashing them in pantyhose can help extend their shelf life ever so slightly.

Another way you can use pantyhose with melons is to tie pantyhose around them when they’re still on the vine. Melons are heavy, and tying a pair of pantyhose around the fruit can help prevent the stem from breaking.

Peaches

Peaches, pears, and other kinds of stone fruits should be stored at room temperature. You can stash them in a pair of old pantyhose as long as you put them with the stem-end down.

This is a great alternative to storing these fruits in plastic bags, which can cause them to over ripen.

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Potatoes

Like onions and garlic, potatoes are pantry staples that are easy to store in pantyhose. Insert each one separately and then hang the set of pantyhose to promote good air circulation. This should help prevent your potatoes from rotting, too. Leave the dirt on them for best results – don’t wash first.

Yogurt

You can’t preserve yogurt in pantyhose, perse, but to make your own yogurt, you’re going to need some cheesecloth – or some pantyhose! You can easily strain the dairy for your yogurt with a piece of pantyhose instead of cheesecloth.

Celery

Celery does need to be refrigerated if you plan on storing it this way for the long term, but a good way to keep it crisp is to put the stalks in a glass of water with the top tightly covered with a piece of pantyhose. It’s as easy as that!

Winter Squash

Winter squash is already known for its incredible longevity throughout the dead of winter, but you can help it last even longer by stashing your fruits in a pair of pantyhose.

This hack works best with squashes that are more or less symmetrical – you may have a harder time fitting an oblong butternut squash inside a set of pantyhose than a spaghetti squash, for example!

Again, the key to preserving winter squash in pantyhose is to take the time to cure it first.

Carrots

Carrots are root vegetables that continue putting energy into their leaf development long after they’ve reached your kitchen shelves. You can encourage your carrots to become sweeter by chopping the tops off and then storing them in a pair of pantyhose. This will lock in nutrients – but as with potatoes, you should avoid washing them before you store them.

Bananas

Only have a few pieces of pantyhose to sacrifice? If so, bananas can be preserved for a short period of time with the bits and pieces. Simple wrap each stem in a bit of plastic wrap, which will reduce the rate at which ethylene gas is released. Your bananas will ripen more slowly as a result.

Meat

Just about any kind of meat can be temporarily preserved in pantyhose.

This isn’t something you would want to do for the long haul and it’s not going to prevent your meat from spoiling when exposed to inopportune temperatures.

However, when you place your meat in pantyhose before putting it in the refrigerator (ideally inside an additional plastic bag), this can help prevent air from entering the package and leading to a loss of color, flavor, and texture.

Avocados

Storing avocados in an old pair of pantyhose is a great way to keep them gathered together. Plus, it will prevent them from becoming overripe, which can happen if you stash them in your crisper.

Mushrooms

While you can only store mushrooms indefinitely, stashing them in a pair of light-colored pantyhose (rather than in the refrigerator) is the best way to keep them fresh.

Sweet Potatoes

Just like regular old white potatoes, sweet potatoes can also be preserved in pantyhose. You should take the time to cure your sweet potatoes before doing this, as it will help the tubers develop their characteristic sweet taste.

Store them at 80 degrees with 90% humidity for ten days, then transfer them to pantyhose. Once inside the hose, you should store them in a cool, dark location (55-60 degrees is ideal) for up to six months.

There are lots of good reasons to consider preserving your produce, meats, and cheese in pantyhose.

Not only will it reduce the amount of food that goes to waste because you have no other materials to store it in, but it can also give you a creative way to reuse old clothing that you were going to throw out anyway.

For best results, use a light-colored pair of pantyhose that is new or gently used – and always clean, of course. You’ll be amazed at the results!

The article was first published on askaprepper.com

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