Salad Greens | Selecting & Preparing

My grandmother always soaked our lettuce in the sink like the video shows but she would add a bit of salt to the water. She said it would help remove any insects/bugs still on the leaves. I always see a couple floating in the water when I take the lettuce out. Try it out and see!

My grandma did the same thing. But the salt is only to remove the bugs and crawlies, not to clean the greens from dirt. And only a pinch is used in a large tub. I would only recommend this for garden vegetables just picked, which are hardy enough to tolerate even a bit of salt without getting damaged. I would not use this method for store-bought lettuce - growers have their own ways of keeping the bugs off, and store-bought greens are older, often dehydrated, and more sensitive to the sodium. Hope this helps.

Oh really has been a very good lesson, did not know the correct measure of vinegar to use, and much more.
Thanks!!!

Would the same 'clean and refresh' procedures hold true for home grown greens? Should they be washed as in the lesson or simply bagged and washed before use. We usually eat them within 72 hrs.of harvest, most often 24.

Store bought greens are often wet when purchased; garden greens are often picked early in the day and harvested dry. I have been laboring under the illusion that moist greens are more prone to deterioration and that it is best to simply wrap them in damp paper towels and place them in an unsealed plastic bag in the fridge.

Ideally, pick green right before eating. But if stored, wash and spin dry home grown salad greens when serving rather than before storing them. This is because home grown greens are usually not as sturdy as the store bought varieties. Keep in mind that some varieties wilt faster than others, even dry.

Moist greens are more prone to deterioration, especially if they can't evaporate their moisture. Wrapped with damp paper towels works well to extend shelf life.

To rehydrate wilting greens, simply soak them in ice water.

This is some of the best advice I've gotten in a long while. I never thought to re-rinse my bagged greens(after all, it says triple washed on the package) and spin them dry, but after watching the video I started doing this and it makes a huge difference in the taste and texture of the greens! Thanks.....

I went out to my farmers market and bought: frisée, butter lettuce, green leaf, and radicchio.

I was used to buying the prepackaged mixes, but combining your own lettuces is even better, more fun and visually appealing.

Because of the soaking and storing tips, most of the lettuce lasted more than a week (works really well stored in the salad spinner).

I have a related question:

Do you recommend to prewash before storing, in a similar manner, leafy herbs such as parsley and cilantro?

I don't usually wash my herbs before storing them. Here is another forum thread which talks about "How to Store Herbs". Cheers!

Mesculn or field greens are difficult to keep for more than a couple of days.They are usually very young and fragile.
I found having a "Tupperware" type of cake box lined with paper towels is the ideal place for them. Moisture is the enemy for these frail greens.
John B.

clean them and dry them as whole leaves then cut stems on and angle. Then stand leaves in a container and add enough filtered water to cover the stems then stand up in the fridge and place a damp paper towel over the top

I have been storing the greens wrong. Wasn't sure how to get the freshest ones. Also didn't know which had what flavor. I am learning so much.

Great lesson on having the greens clean and in the refrig so you are more likely to have a salad. I do that on our sailboat all the time so the greens last longer; now I'll do it at home too. I liked the suggestions on using salt for the bugs when I get the greens from the market.

I've been told that adding a capful of vinegar to the water used to soak and clean the greens will help restore them and can kill some germs. Any truth to that?

The acidity in the vinegar does help to kill most of the bacteria but it's really not necessary as water alone will also do the trick.

Here is an interesting podcast that you might find helpful, it's called "What Does it Take to Clean Fresh Food?". The podcast talks about the results from a few different experiments that we conducted around this issue/question. Hope this helps. Cheers!

I was a good lesson, but what is the best olive to use? (light or extra virgin)

Please refer to the next lesson on Salad Dressing & Vinaigrette Basics. There is a drill-down in Topic 1 called How to Choose Olive Oil, which gives plenty of information on the various types. Cheers!

I had difficulty viewing both the drill downs. The text went below the bottom of the screen and there was no scroll bar, so I was not able to completely read either drill down. Is there a way to view the full text?

it was a nice lesson, i just enjoyed, i love to eat salads, green salads with italian olive oil... i love Tuscan olive oil... am a food lover from Maldives.... thanks... eat healthy and be always happy...

Section two of the video "choosing salad greens" doesn't seem to be up and running... Not sure if it is just me but I don't get a play button on that screen.

It seems to be working fine here. Are you still having troubles? Were you singed in at the time? If you are still having troubles please let us know. Alternatively, you can use the "contact us" link at the bottom of any page to contact us regarding any site or video issues. Cheers!

Hi.
I am never too sure if I need to trim off the long stems of the watercress. Any tips?

The stems and the leaves of watercress are both edible. In most cases, the leaves are left on the stems. Cheers!

Under video section, "choosing salad greens" appears as a picture not a video. Suggestions to get the video? Thx

As this is topic 2 it sounds like perhaps you are just not logged in. Could this be the case? Cheers!

Thx for quick response. I am logged in:)

Does that mean that you are now able to watch the video? Cheers!