Discussion Board

Why is it that bunch spinach so often has muddy soil on it in the produce dep't.? Same goes for arrugula. On the other hand, lettuce, kale, and most other greens are typically much cleaner. Wonder why?

My guess would be because of how they grow. Spinach is low growing to the ground and it also doesnt grow in a "head" like lettuce does. Other greens grow much higher from the ground. Just a guess though.

Deb

the outside (muddy or scruffy) leaves of head lettuce or bunching greens like kale are trimmed off before being displayed in the store. In fact, if you get there on delivery day you can actually watch the produce staff doing this trimming as they unload the produce and put it in the sales bins.

Those store trimmings, by the way, are a great resource for gardeners if you can arrange to pick them up because you can add them to your compost pile. However around here those scraps are already claimed by livestock owners.

Because of the way spinach is harvested, if they are large leaves they are generally bundled in the field as they are picked. "Baby" spinach, or small leaves that have been prewashed and sold in containers is usually clean, but you pay quite a high price for all that processing!