Pre-mixed field greens - was: Re: SC - salads (long)

[Phil & Susan Troy]

needlwitch at msn.com wrote, re premixed field greens:
> 
> Yep, I have gotten it many times at stores in my area. It beats iceberg
> salads hands down. Kind of spoiled me I guess. And it is fun trying to
> identify all the different greens. It does cost a bit more, though it is
> well worth it, IMHO.
> 
Yes, this is good stuff. You can find it at good greenmarkets, farmer's
markets, and maybe some supermarkets, for all I know. Sold as "mixed field
greens" of "mesclun". I usually order it in 3- or 5-lb boxes: a box goes a
long way because these greens are much lighter than lettuce: you get maybe 35
- - 50 good-sized servings from  a box, depending on whether it's a 3 or a 5
- -pounder. 

It also generally comes prewashed and pretrimmed, ready for dressing and
serving. A quick look for various, uh, forest floor items might not be such a
bad idea though. Let's say it is clean and ready to serve 98% of the time,
within my experience, and is full of various animal byproducts and hunks of
wood the other 2% of the time. On the other hand, washing it just in case can
hurt the greens, so that should be avoided too, because some of these greens
are really very delicate. (At Bouley we were forbidden to run tap water on
them, to avoid breakage; we had to fill a sink and slowly immerse
them...possibly a bit excessive, but when you're taking someone else's money,
etc.) Drying them afterwards can also be a problem, since salad spinners tend
to be rather small. One trick I encountered is to gather your greens up in a
small tablecloth, hold onto the corners and swing the greens around like a
centrifuge. For events, I recommend finding burly fighter types, the original
food processors!

As for the compromised periodicity of the greens being used in the mix, it's
true there are some lettuces involved, and lettuces would not have appeared in
the average European salad until well after the Middle Ages, but many greens
that _would_ likely have been there in a period mixed salad _are_ there, too.
You'll likely find purslane, baby kale, dandelion, parsley, chives,
watercress, lamb's lettuce, sorrel, baby spinach leaves, endive, along with
some lettuces of various kinds, like baby romaine, red leaf, and baby red oak
leaves (which I don't think are actual oak leaves, but are shaped like them).
The best mixes will also often include some edible flowers, either whole or in petals.

Adamantius
Østgardr, East
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com
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