does anyone buy prepared salads?

shandypants5

As well as my normal salad, I grew a packet of "mixed" salad leave seeds last year.

It was really nice to be able to go out and just break off several different shaped leaves rinse and chuck them on my sandwiches.

I will be doing the same again this year.

competitionscafe

A lot of the prepared salads are washed in highly chlorinated water and then the bags are filled with a gas and air mixture as washed salad goes off very quickly. That's why they deteriorate so quickly after opening.

Pre-washed salad is a dirty trick (Felicity Lawrence)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/03/foodsafety.fooddrinks

Salad: What's in the bag?
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/salad-whats-in-the-bag-517258.html

Last summer I grew my own 'cut and come again' mixed salad leaves (in containers / windowboxes) and it was a revelation - much easier than I thought (although you have to be quite vigilant against slugs and bugs - my weapons included salt, copper tape around the containers, oatbran and homemade chilli and garlic spray (for caterpillars). But for the price of a few packets of seeds and some compost I got tasty fresh salad leaves all spring, summer and early autumn and it was so good to go and pick your own ultra fresh home grown salad leaves just before serving dinner. (I sowed 1 container or windowbox every 2 weeks or so for the first couple of months and lots of different varieties, sowing little and often) Will definatley be doing it again this year.

thriftlady_2

rocketdog wrote: »

I was advised to avoid pre-prepared and bagged salads when pregnant because of the high bacteria content in them. since .

The only time I have I had food poisoning was down to a bagged salad.

want2bmortgage3

well thats the feeling i got when i opened the packet, it didnt smell right, maybe i was right to bin it as it could have caused food poisoning?

totallybored

I no longer eat them after reading Not on the Label. If I'm eating out and there is a variety of mixed leaves on the plate with anything I'll avoid them as they will probably have come from a bag and not have been washed.

If you do buy them make sure you wash them well.

TheDoolallyDilly

I tend to buy the Little Gem lettuces from Tesco - they are about 80 p I think.

I have a Tupperware salad crisper box I keep in the fridge and the lettuces stay fresh for a week in there (ditto cucumber, peppers etc).

ETA I am going to try growing cut and come again salad leaves in the spring.

mypet62

Hi all why not plant the mixed leafs lettace in a pot on your kitchen window sill, plant a few pots with a few weeks in between and you will have your own supply over the winter. I even do this over the summer to save costs.:j

Hawthorn

Lettuce? LETTUCE? I'm not a blooming rabbit LOL.

I dislike lettuce to be honest, as does most of the family.

We do eat other salad stuff - cucumber, celery, tomatoes, radish etc, we just don't get on with lettuce *shrugs*
I did try growing it last year to see if it was any better, but alas, the rabbits at the allotment thought we'd planted it for them.
so no, I don't buy the prepacked stuff.
I don't even buy fresh tomatoes if I can help it. They are just tasteless compared to home grown.

competitionscafe

Charles Dowdings website (and book) is really good for info on the differeent salad leaves, when to grow them etc.
http://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/

Also this book, which you can read quite a bit of online for free with google books:
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=SsQ8XBJkGG8C&pg=PA1&dq=joy+larkcom

afterglow_2

dont eat much lettuce meself even in salads, why not just buy a round lettuce very cheap,30p, and few leaves makes a nice base for salad,
otherwise little gem or cos is good because you can shred the lot, dress it, add some bacon/chicken/croutons/poached egg and make a light meal!