Preparing salad greens

1 Servings

Quantity Ingredient

Start your salad with a good mix of your favorite greens. Place the greens in a sink full of cool water and remove any damaged leaves.

Swish lightly to remove any dirt, then wait a few minutes while the dirt settles to the bottom. Lift the greens into a salad spinner and spin dry, or shake them gently in a colander to remove excess water.

Dressing won't stick to wet leaves, so take extra care to dry the greens -- transfer them to a dry tea towel, which you can then roll up and keep in the refrigerator until you're ready to make your salad.

For longer storage of washed greens, place them loosely in a plastic bag with a few single sheets of paper towel to absorb extra moisture.

Loosely tie the end of the bag. When you are ready to prepare the salad, tear the greens into bite-sized pieces and place them in the salad bowl. We prefer a wooden bowl and, like a cast-iron frying pan, keep it seasoned and try to avoid using soap to clean it. We even make the dressing right in the bowl, adding the ingredients at the bottom with the greens on top, all to be tossed together just before serving.

From: The Cook's Garden catalog - Spring/Summer 1993

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