Oh, man. Was the salad contaminated?

[addiebee]

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

What brand of greens did you buy?

I buy Earthbound Farm organic pre-washed salad greens in the winter... i don't wash them again. They seem to be a reputable company, I found this about their pre-washed greens:

http://www.ebfarm.com/Products/QualityFoodSafety.aspx

I thought you can't wash off e-coli anyway.

(I'm sorry to hear that your husband got sick.)

Actually, it was my boyfriend. I have bought Earthbound Farms stuff before.

 

[carolpetunia]

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

I thought you can't wash off e-coli anyway.

Exactly. That's why I only buy whole heads of lettuce these days (no leaf lettuce -- too exposed to contamination), and I only use the interior of the head, where contamination is much less likely to reach.

And I wash the living daylights out of it, because even though washing doesn't help with E. coli, it can help eliminate other contaminants... including plain ol' dirt.

By the way -- I love salad spinners, and I get the most out of mine by doing a "wash cycle" with it, too: I put the lettuce in the spinner, fill it up with luke-warm water, spin, drain, refill, spin, drain, refill... a final rinse with cold water, and then I spin it dry. We eat lots of salad, and we've never gotten sick from it -- thanks to my obsessive washing!

 

[carolpetunia]

P.S. -- Earthbound Farms is a great company, but even reputable companies are vulnerable: one outbreak a few years ago affected Earthbound products because some of their greens were grown next door to a pig farm, and when it rained, the runoff carried pigpoop into the growing fields. So even a good brand name isn't a guarantee.

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

Exactly. That's why I only buy whole heads of lettuce these days (no leaf lettuce -- too exposed to contamination), and I only use the interior of the head, where contamination is much less likely to reach.

Iceburg? Ick. You might as well just drink some water for as much nutrients as iceburg lettuce will give you, the stuff is pretty much empty - that and it taste horrible.

 

[swampwitch]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Iceburg? Ick. You might as well just drink some water for as much nutrients as iceburg lettuce will give you, the stuff is pretty much empty - that and it taste horrible.

The only lettuce I could eat when I was living in Texas was iceberg. Everything else was old and limp and gross by the time it got to Texas. The iceberg was nice and crunchy. The lettuce is just filler anyway, for all the other goodies that go in the salad.

 

[strange_wings]

DH and I really don't even eat lettuce very often anymore. Spinach is better and has a nice crunch.

It's also very nutritious.

I have no problems getting fresh leaf lettuce here, though. In the spring and summer I can usually get homegrown from my dad and his wife - which is about the only time we do eat lettuce.

And that's awful about the neighborhood prohibiting putting in such beds and gardens! If I want to put tacky pink flamingos in my yard it's my business - anyone with the guts to complain would be liable to get one chunked at them and me yelling at them to get off my lawn.

Note: we do not have such silly rules where I live, thankfully. I have turtle pens to build, a fence to extend, and a garden to plan out.

 

[addiebee]

I actually love good lettuce - leaf, romaine, etc. And when it is locally field grown, it is wonderful!! Sweet and tender.

I"m also supposed to be dieting and well... salad (lettuce) is a big part of that.

 

[carolpetunia]

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

The only lettuce I could eat when I was living in Texas was iceberg. Everything else was old and limp and gross by the time it got to Texas. The iceberg was nice and crunchy. The lettuce is just filler anyway, for all the other goodies that go in the salad.

Exactly. I love red and green leaf lettuce, Boston lettuce, romaine... but they're harder to find fresh, they're more expensive, and they're 'way riskier, so I avoid them these days.

 

[dragoriana]

Originally Posted by AddieBee

Fencing or raised tiered stuff is prohibited in this neighborhood. My mom wanted to put in a raised garden for my dad after he had a stroke. She had to petition the township and the neighborhood voted it down.

I don't have much of a green thumb anyway....

Oh, poop