Ready-to-eat salad

[Aquagility]

Has packeged salad been washed since it was handled?

[shaneystar2]

After being chopped, the salad leaves are washed in chlorine, effectively sterilising them.The amount of chlorine used is around 20 times more concentrated than you would find in you average local swimming pool.
The salad leaves are then packaged in Modified Atmospheric Packaging . This process removes most of the oxygen out of the plastic bag and replaces it with carbon dioxide. This will keep the salad looking fresh for around ten days. But unfortunately though its appearance is maintained, the nutrient content rapidly diminishes.
Cheaper to buy a lettuce and wash it yourself.

[Aquagility]

Thanks, SS2. I always used to do just that, but living on ones own one gets idle!

[Figi]

I totally agree with shaneystar. On the very rare occasions when I am forced to buy bagged salad I always re-wash it twice. Who wants to eat bleach?

[shaneystar2]

If you buy a nice fresh lettuce and only want to use some of it store the left overs in a plastic bag or Tupperware ..plunging it into some cold water will refresh the leaves and a swift flick in a clean tea towel will dry them off.
Failing that if you have room in the garden do what I do every summer ...grow your own .I sow lambs lettuce and rocket at intervals throughout the summer in my little mini greenhouse and cut and sow again ....delicious ! A couple of packets of seed will yield no end of leaves.

[heathfield]

Decorative too. Lolla Rosso looks great in the flower bed as a bedding plant between (taller) flowers.

[Aquagility]

Thank you all. I'll obviously have to take myself in hand!