How to Wash and Store Salad Greens

There are two things that are guaranteed to be in my mother's kitchen at this time of year : a bowl of kiwis and a zip-lock bag of washed, dried, and properly-stored lettuce.

The bowl of kiwis merits its own post, but essentially it's never empty and never, ever full of rotten fruit. My mom eats those little furry fruits everyday, standing over the sink unabashedly as she does it. She slices them with a paring knife, allowing the extra juices to fall freely.

The salad greens are her pride and joy. I was barred from washing and drying greens until I was deemed "responsible" enough to do so correctly (it took twenty years, folks!) Proper salad care takes a bit of patience, but it can be quite the nurturing exercise, and it pays off in the end with beautiful, delicious salads! So I thought I'd share the process with you, especially since I want to encourage you to make as many salads as possible this summer :)

To begin, lettuce is grown in very sandy, wet environments. An incomplete washing will leave unexpected gritty bites in an otherwise delicious salad. Furthermore, the greens won't hold salad dressing unless they're completely dry! So not only is a good rinse necessary, but also a thorough drying session.

So here's the step by step process:

1) Pull that beautiful head of lettuce out of your grocery bag and check the outside for spotted, or otherwise too-tough leaves. Discard those reject leaves. Don't feel guilty! Place the remaining head of lettuce in a colander.

2) Place the colander under cold, running water. It has to be cold, not even lukewarm, as the salad greens hold their shape better under a cold rinse! Peel away the layers of leaves, holding each new leaf under the water for a few seconds and using your hands to ensure that all of the sand is removed.

3) Give each washed leaf a good shake in the sink as you go and place it aside, either on an outstretched towel or in another colander designated for clean greens.

4) When the washing is finished, take a look at that glorious pile of dripping leaves! If you're like me and you don't have a salad spinner, take about two kitchen towels and begin patting your lettuce dry.... make sure that you get as much water off of the leaves as possible!

5) Place the dry leaves in a resealable zip-lock bag with a damp paper towel. Drop the zip-lock bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge. If washed and stored properly, they should last for 4 or 5 days!

Enjoy!