Should I wash the bagged greens I buy in the grocery store? We’ve all asked ourselves this question…and the FDA has given us their answer: No. Supposedly, the greens are washed in a facility that is more sanitary than the average home kitchen. Some experts claim that re-washing them in one’s home may cause contamination, but others argue that you should wash them again. In Eating for Pregnancy: The Essential Nutrition Guide and Cookbook for Today’s Mothers-to-Be, Rose Ann Hudson, RD LD, and I offer advice on washing and storing greens…and we do suggest re-washing, simply because pregnant women should be extremely  cautious about food-borne illnesses. This, however, assumes that you keep a very clean kitchen. If you don’t have the time or energy to re-wash and dry your greens…don’t sweat. It’s almost always safe to eat them straight from the bag. Here are some helpful hints for buying, washing, and storing greens.

Buying

• When choosing bagged or boxed greens, look through all angles of the container to make sure the lettuce is not wilted or deteriorating in any way. It’s amazing how rapidly lettuce wilts, and once it starts, the rest of the contents seem to follow quickly.
• When shopping, place your greens and herbs in plastic bags. Don’t just throw them into your cart where they can become contaminated by other foods, such as poultry juices, cold cuts, or other spills.
• Pick up the head of lettuce you plan to buy and examine it for bruised leaves and brown spots. Look at the stem where it was cut to see if it is a fresh cut. It should not be dry and brown.
• Examine the lettuce and other vegetables before you choose them at a salad bar, especially if you’re buying them at the end of the day, after they’ve been sitting out for a while.
• Organic greens are no cleaner than non-organic ones. They can harbor potentially harmful bacteria and still need to be thoroughly washed.

Washing and Storing

• When buying bagged greens don’t assume that they’ve been washed. The bag should clearly state: “prewashed,” “triple washed,” “or ready to eat.” For instance, whole heads of romaine, sold in bags, have not been washed.
• Avoid cross-contamination. Don’t wash your greens or other vegetables next to raw meats.
• For large-leaf lettuce (romaine, red and green leaf, Boston, curly endive or escarole, collard greens, kale and mustard greens), wash the leaves, discarding any badly bruised ones. Tear the leafy part of the lettuce into bite-size pieces, discarding the thick stems, if desired. Spin-dry the lettuce and, if not using immediately, place it in a zip-lock bag and store it in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator. Greens washed and stored this way will keep for about five days.
• For small lettuce leaves (watercress, Belgian endive, arugula, chicory, and radicchio), wash the lettuce leaves, discarding any badly bruised ones, then spin-dry. Discard the thick stems of the watercress and break the leafy tops into bite-size pieces. Stack the endive or radicchio leaves and slice them just before adding then to the salad, or tear them into bite-size pieces. Store washed whole lettuce leaves in a zip-lock bag in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator.
• Fresh leafy herbs (parsley, cilantro, and dill) should be washed and spun-dry, then stored in a zip-lock bag in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator.
• For cabbage, wash just before using. Discard the tough outer leaves and wash some of the inner leaves. If the core leaves are really tight, you don’t need to wash all the way to the center.

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