This does not originate from me, but from a friend who is an experienced gardener. Her name is April Asher, so I give credit where credit is due.
“Since I’m pulling out a bed filled with perfectly good greens and veggies, I thought I would mention a tip on how to manage and keep all those yummies nice and perky fresh while you’re busy pulling out everything else.
Simply fill either a large stainless steel bowl or plastic tub with ice and water. As you harvest, try to keep bottoms intact (I.e., beetroot with leafy tops, Cilantro with roots removed but base still connected, heads of lettuce with roots, etc).
After a thorough rinse to remove dirt and debris (pests too if you have them), set each plant into the icy water keeping the bottoms submerged and leafy tops above water. Continue to add veggies this way until nicely packed in.
The veggies will stay fresh and crispy for hours until you’re ready to start processing them. Just be sure to keep adding a little ice to keep the water nice and chilly.
This works with summer greens too, tho careful with Basil and other herbs. They don’t like the icy water and will turn black in a short period of time. Keep them in room temp water with the leaves above water.”