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Handling Your Salad
Greens
by Jeanie Rose, a.k.a. “Mom”
1. Don’t wash them until you are ready
to use them.
2. Store in the warmest part of the
refrigerator in an open plastic bag. This is one situation where a
closed bag does not help save freshness. Instead, it sets up a
situation for turning your greens into
slime.
3. When you’re ready for salad, wash
the greens. And pat them dry or dry them in a spinner. If you’ve
grown your own or purchased greens grown in sandy soil, you’ll need
to take extra care in washing: Pile the greens in a large bowl.
Fill with cool water. Swish several times and then drain. Repeat
this two more times before drying the
lettuce.
4. You have a choice of drying methods.
Some take longer than others. Stand your lettuce leaves up on a
dish drainer. This works efficiently, but you’d better not be in a
hurry. Or, you could lay your lettuce out on a large towel. Roll it
up and let it sit for several minutes while the water is absorbed
into the terrycloth. Or you could use a salad spinner. This is
relatively fast and works well for small-leafed lettuces, not large
ones like Romaine.
5. Tear the lettuce rather than cutting
it. Cutting causes the edges to begin to oxidize. This means the
edges turn black, probably sooner that you would
like.
6. Toss into a large bowl. And here is
a prime secret of mine: Add some fresh, finely-minced garlic, a
little olive oil, coarse salt, and possibly some freshly-grated
Romano cheese. Toss until each leaf is glistening with oil. You can
do this ahead of time and let the greens sit for an hour or two
while the flavors meld. Now your greens are full of flavor.
Anything else you might add to this is just bonus. Add a dressing
or not. Add toppings when you are ready to serve your meal.
If you have any greens left over from the meal, don’t throw them
away. They will be wilted by the next day, but no matter. Stick
them in a sandwich. Your sandwich will come alive in a whole new
way.
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IMPORTANT
DISCLAIMER: Information on this web
site is provided for informational purposes only and is not
intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician
or other healthcare professional. Consult with your physician
before making any changes to your diet.