How To Clean The Greens Properly Before Consumption

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Although most green leafy vegetables can be found year-round in larger stores or markets, it is certainly best to emphasize their consumption in the spring.

The reason for this statement is not only that then is "their" season and they are the freshest, but also the fact that in the spring our body is deficient in iron, which is present in abundance in them.

However useful green leafy vegetables may be, they must be very diligent cleaned and washed before consumption. A recent study of lettuce, spinach, sorrel and other leafy greens found that nitrates were found in more than 15% of them, and Escherichia coli in more than 60%, the latter being particularly dangerous for young children, pregnant women and people with sensitive stomachs.

This study does not concern bioproduction, but it is good to be aware that there are often deviations from the norms. In fact, to claim that there is a product that is 100% organic and healthy is almost impossible.

Fortunately, for good cleaning and washing of green leaves, we radically reduce the amount of toxins that may be contained in them.

See how to clear nitrates.

Here's what it's important to know and make sure you can enjoy your favorite green salad.

Before you start washing the leaves, you need to remove the outer ones, because they contain the most toxins. This is especially true for lettuce and spring salads, which are not in the category of organic products.

The optimal cleaning of green leafy vegetables requires their soaking for about 15-20 minutes in water to which some acid such as vinegar or lemon juice has been added, because it kills to a large extent the bacteria in them. At least that was the case until recently.

It turns out to be best for soaking the leafy greens use water in which a little baking soda has been dissolved. The recommended amount of such a solution is 1 tsp. soda per 1 liter of water.

However, in whatever solution you have soaked the green leaves, it is obligatory to wash them later with fresh water.

Very often due to lack of time we do not "get" to the soaking of green leaves. In such a case, it is mandatory to wash each leaf thoroughly under running water, remove excess moisture from it with kitchen paper or a vegetable centrifuge and only then proceed to the preparation of a salad or other dish.

In case you still do not have a vegetable centrifuge, we sincerely advise you to get one. With it, soaking and cleaning become the easiest and most convenient. Such an appliance costs about BGN 10, which makes it a great investment for your household.

It not only saves time and effort for cleaning green leafy vegetables, but performs this activity with great quality. Much better than if you wash the individual leaves by hand, and removes residual moisture from them, turning them into a ready-to-eat product.