How do you wash your loose leaf lettuce?

I do like lesa & Pat do. I'm too bug-phobic to NOT wash the lettuce first.

At first I just held a couple of leaves over the sink & sprayed them with the hand-sprayer, then layer on paper towels, roll up, put in plastic bag, & keep in crisper drawer. They seem to last several days like this.

Now, however, I dunk the leaves in a large bowl of ice water & gently swirl them around (then layer with paper towels, etc). It may be my imagination but it seems to keep them crisper that way. The leftover water can be used on the garden or to flush.

I would love to get a spinner, but haven't seen any at the local stores. :/

Salad Spinners:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=salad+spinner&x=0&y=0

I use the OXO one ... I like it most because the push nob stays flush with the lid for storage. And it works like a charm, too!

I don't know if I can find the link, but I read that after you wash the lettuce you should soak the lettuce in a vinegar/water solution for a few minutes. I think you rinse it again, but I can't remember It's supposed to reduce bacteria and keep the lettuce safer for storage.

Trisha

SLUGS. ugh.
Funny story that explains why my oldest will NOT eat any leaf lettuce! I swear I washed every leaf singly under running water. YET, when I served up the wilted lettuce salad there IT was... A BIG green horn (or tobacco?) worm. Well cooked. But still there. Grossed him out.
I do have a slug problem with my hosta. And can't seem to find any Diatamatious Earth. (Do not want to use the slug bait.) Where can I find some?

You can find it lots of places ... google it and you'll find several options. Amazon.com even sells it, I think. And, I am pretty sure I saw a 5lb bag at Lowe's or HD last time we were there. In the garden section, of course.

I've ordered from this place before ... because I wanted a 50lb bag, and they were one of the few places I could find that sold that sized bag at the time. I use it in the chicken house nest boxes. But it's been a while, and I haven't compared prices lately, so not sure where to find the best price.

http://www.earthworkshealth.com/

Just be sure you get food grade, and NOT pool grade. There's a difference.

Northernrose said:

I don't know if I can find the link, but I read that after you wash the lettuce you should soak the lettuce in a vinegar/water solution for a few minutes. I think you rinse it again, but I can't remember It's supposed to reduce bacteria and keep the lettuce safer for storage.

Trisha

Click to expand...

I am very tempted to see how lettuce handles a dip in vinegar/water because, this is the way I like salad greens!! I'll do a little 1:1 test, soak the lettuce a few minutes and find out how well it stores in the crisper drawer. Will report back .

And, Carol Dee's wilted (please hold the bug) lettuce. I don't think I really even liked lettuce until my wife's grandmother harvested leaf lettuce from her garden and managed to fit it all briefly in a cast-iron skillet with some diced bacon . . !

Vinegar is great with any green. I have my favorites, of course. Apple cider vinegar with something fresh and rice vinegar with stir-fry. Just a splash . . . and a splash of a flavorful oil & maybe a dash of Mrs. Dash .

Yes, lemon juice in the salad or lime juice in the stir-fry can stand in for the vinegar. And, being American - I'm inclined to reach for Italian dressing, which I understand is unknown in Italy . Newman's Own is good with that cheese flavor but I don't go for the "creamy" types.

Anyway, I bet slugs don't like vinegar. They avoid most anything that I'm inclined to spray in the garden. That means insecticidal soap will keep them from straying from their homes in nearby bushes apparently because they don't like traveling across soapy ground. Wood ashes has worked as a barricade, also. I better not draw the line with salt and need to go light on the ashes. My soil is already on the high pH side of the scale.

Of course, once slugs are in the cover of a mature stand of lettuce - they may think that they are home free. Most anything is better than the the most anything of commercial agriculture. I notice that the synthetic insect-killers are also touted for their ability to repel slugs and snails.

The baits made with iron & aluminum are organic and classified as safe for humans and pets. Eating them, apparently doesn't set well with a slug. Now, the metaldehyde bait commercial ag uses on lettuce says right on it: "This product can be harmful to children and fatal to dogs and other domestic animals if ingested."

I think I'll take my salad with something else on it, thank you. JMHO.

Steve

Carol Dee said:

SLUGS. ugh. And can't seem to find any Diatamatious Earth. (Do not want to use the slug bait.) Where can I find some?

Click to expand...

I got mine off EBay, then found some at a feed store. Like already said, make sure to get food grade DE.

digitS' said:

Anyway, I bet slugs don't like vinegar. They avoid most anything that I'm inclined to spray in the garden. That means insecticidal soap will keep them from straying from their homes in nearby bushes apparently because they don't like traveling across soapy ground. Wood ashes has worked as a barricade, also. I better not draw the line with salt and need to go light on the ashes. My soil is already on the high pH side of the scale.

Click to expand...

Steve - does that mean if I spray diluted vinegar on my garden the slugs will leave it alone? That seems to be a simple solution. How concentrated the solution?

cookiesdaddy said:

digitS' said:

Anyway, I bet slugs don't like vinegar. They avoid most anything that I'm inclined to spray in the garden. That means insecticidal soap will keep them from straying from their homes in nearby bushes apparently because they don't like traveling across soapy ground. Wood ashes has worked as a barricade, also. I better not draw the line with salt and need to go light on the ashes. My soil is already on the high pH side of the scale.

Click to expand...

Steve - does that mean if I spray diluted vinegar on my garden the slugs will leave it alone? That seems to be a simple solution. How concentrated the solution?

Click to expand...

Do not get it on any leaves! I use a product called Burn Out that's a concentrated vinegar - it kills plants dead.

I was thinking that Northernrose Trisha's idea was a good one after harvest, not for growing garden plants. I would imagine that no slug would be holding on in the leaves after steeping a couple minutes in a vinegar/water solution.

The weed killer vinegar is very strong, double digit percent acetic acid. Household vinegar in only 5% acid but I won't use that anywhere near straight since I don't want to rinse it off and don't want the lettuce to turn brown before I can get it to the table.

. . . just talking about an effective rinsing for the lettuce.

Steve