Washing (sluggy) spinach/salad...

Wondered if anyone had any top tips for washing salad or spinach leaves? I have been putting mine in a big bowl with maybe a couple of pints of water, and giving it a good rinse round (running under the tap uses too much water to my mind and seems less effective). This seems to remove most of the earth etc. and a few of those really tiny slugs, but there's always a couple of mouthfulls that are very slightly gritty and I don't even want to think about whether there's any slugs still in there, or whether all their slime comes off! I'd rather that than the chlorine-washed supermarket stuff - but just wondered if anyone has a good way of getting rid of it all?

 

Hi Claire75. Add salt to the water and any remaining slugs will curl up and drop off. The grit can only be got rid of by rinsing really.

Mind you, they do say 'a peck of dirt before you die'.
I have no idea what a 'peck' is

 

Just for the record - a peck is TWO GALLONS!!! Like, sixteen pints.... seems rather a lot to me! Must be about four fluid ounces a year.... Oo-er!

The phrase in Lincolnshire was "You've got to eat a peck of muck before you die". Hope they didn't mean THAT sort of "muck"!!

 

But, doesn't Delia say there's nothing to beat a nice crunchy salad?

 

:D ta all for the helpful advice and/or humour!
I'll try the salty water thing - although i'm pleased to report that i didn't notice any slugs or gritty bits in my tea tonight so either i've got better at rinsing or i've just got used to it.

I didn't spot any slugs either - but i did notice flea beatles while i was out picking... ho hum, vaseliney cardboard trick tomorrow night i guess!

 

I bought a salad spinner earlier this year. Originally i went to buy one (advised by Jamie Oliver (in book not personally) and they were �£25 in John Lewis and said no way was i paying that to wash a bit of lettuce. Anyway got one in the Debenhams sale for �£13 (still thought it was a lot) and i could not recommend one more. Absolutly brilliant. I picked 3 types of muddy lettuce out of the garden yesterday and washed them in a bowl of water and it all went mushy, into the salad spinner and it now looks like the pre washed stuff from the supermarket but its all home grown. We use more of it as well as there is always some in the bowl to add to many a meal or sandwich.