How to Prep Lettuce

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I think that washing and storing lettuce is something everyone should know how to do.
Although it seems like a pretty simple task, for a long time I never knew the “proper” way to prepare lettuce.

So what did I do? I bought pre-packaged, pre-washed mesclun greens. In a pinch, they’re passable and convenient. But in most cases I find that they’re not always fresh, don’t keep for very long and can be expensive! Also, sometimes I just don’t trust that “pre-washed” label, so I wash it anyway!
And if you’re going through the trouble of washing, “pre-washed” lettuce, you might as well get the fresh, unpackaged lettuce in the first place!

What You’ll Need:
Lettuce
Sink
Salad spinner
Paper towel
Large Ziploc bag

Directions:
1. Grab your favourite type of lettuce. – It should look fresh, no brown spots or wilting.
2. Fill up your (clean) sink with cold water.
3. At this point you can choose to tear up your lettuce or leave it whole, it’s up to you.
4. Give your lettuce a bath! Soak the lettuce leaves in the cold water and let any dirt that is on them sink to the bottom. Then give them a good rinse.
5. Get out that spinner! Spin the leaves to get out as much moisture as possible.

Don’t have a salad spinner? Try this tip from Martha Stewart Living.

6. Spread out the spun greens on a single layer of paper towel. Then roll them up.
7. Place rolled up greens into a large Ziploc bag, and seal, getting as much air out as possible.
8. Place in the fridge – These green should keep for a week!

Green Tip: If you want to be more environmentally conscious try using recycled paper towel and try these eco-friendly Ziploc bags.

Hopefully that helped if you were curious about prepping lettuce!

I definitely still get lazy sometimes and buy those pre-packaged mixes. And it’s especially tempting as I don’t have a salad spinner at the moment. But once I get one, it’s fresh leaves all the way!

Have a great Thursday!