I made a salad last night and used fresh chard in it. My first time doing that. It is bitter when uncooked, but I thought it tasted good.

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Everyone be safe out there!! There are alternatives! You can use other greens. I wouldnt use the bagged greens of any kind ,to be safe no telling what will be next if they do the same to all the veggies that way. I would get the fresh and clean it well. You can make a wilted salad, making a hot dressing and drizzling it over the greens. I love spinach and spinach dip, but I would rather be safe than real sorry....... Hope they get this figured out.

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Gret idea Rhea you took that one right out of my mouth.LOL..........

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lately ive been real into FENNEL. i know i know, its not a green, but it is great in a salad, tossed with pretty much anything else. a bunch of romaine in place of the apinach'll do. slice up the fennel bulb and toss in raw, no problem. really interested licorice-like flavor thing thatll totally change youre perception of salad.

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I eat organic spinach that I buy at the local farmer's market. This processing scare makes you think about your food source. . . shop organically and support your local farmer's markets. No ban there, no chemical warfare on your food, and usually from the field to you in less than a day!! Who could ask for a better situation for your food?

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using different types of greens for salads as Mediterraneans have been doing that for years. Dandelions make a delicious salad, both raw and cooked. Use some olive oil and some balsamic over it; it is especially good when cooked. Escarole also makes a good salad, both raw and cooked; the inside yellow leaves are tender and make a great salad.

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Since the Spinach warnings I have been using different vegatable such as peppers, onions and cucumbers. There is a Black and Decker food processor at Http://www.eHenrys.com that allows you to chop, mix and mince. It has a continous flow chute and 450 watts of power. It is great. The different cuts of vegetables release different amounts of flavor and it simply add more or less flavor of the vegetables.

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Try chicory in your salad. Hard to find as most stores don't carry it. It has a bittersweet taste and goes nicely with other mixed greens such as iceberg lettuce or romaine. You only need a small amount. Break off the leaves from the stalks and discard the stalks for less bitterness.

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Why isn't anyone mentioning red leaf & green leaf lettuces? They're the best!

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Watercress is good. They have started packing it in cellophane bags and it keeps for several days.

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One warning on buying the fresh rather than the bagged at the grocery store. I've watched the workers take a bag, open it and pour it in the fresh bin...

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Check the FDA website: www.fda.gov for info on other produce. FDA had already put in effect the Lettuce Safety Initiative, based on the 2004 Produce Safety Action Plan. So, it seems evident that there have already been problems with E.Coli and lettuce.

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Whoever posted that organics were safe from the lastest spinach fiasco is wrong. What is the natural fertilizer? What causes e coli? I date a doc who was told at a recent seminar thousands die yearly from organic, unwashed produce. It wasn't caused by a pesticide!!

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#9 Exactly. That is the point that needs to be talked about. The field workers on large farms either don't get or don't go on bathroom breaks. The employer does not supply port-a-potties and the field workers urinate or defecate in the fields where the vegetables grow. So the vegetables grow and are fertilized by human manure. How do I know this? I was working with groups about the deplorable working conditions of migrant farm workers and the fact that there is a lack of sanitation on some farm fields. So, it was only a matter of time before the truth comes out about unsanitary conditions that adds to the unhealthy condition of our food supply.

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Oh my gosh...........Grow our own and I am serious. Eat according to the season like they did long ago.All thses nasty outbreaks of this stuff. It seems its on everything including money! Which is supppose to be one of the filthest things we handle.....no comment.....They did a test on phones and things they we use and found Ecoli on everything they tested. Some nasties out there definitly not washing their fllippers...............

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Raw cabbage with carrots, green pepper, cucumber, green onion, tomatoes and corn (raw or steamed,)everything chopped small is scrumptious with a nice dressing. And if you have basil you've grown yourself, this treat is awesome. This news is enough to make all of us grown our own produce. Ditto to whoever said that organic produce in the market is NOT safe either.

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Bok choy, chopped up with sliced almonds, green onions, crunched up dry Ramen noodles is delightful. The dressing is the package of seasoning that comes in the Oriental Ramen noodles package, 1-2 tablespoons of sugar and a quarter cup of oil. Its different and delicious. Also raw cabbage, snow peas, carrots, green onion, tomatoes, basil and fresh corn steamed or raw, everything chopped small is something else! we just need to grown our own produce. Organic produce from the market is just as risky as anything else.

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Where can that Mache field green be found -- it sounds interesting, would like to try it.

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Yes, that's the right choice. Screw the economy and the farmers markets alike, and start growing our own food!

Let's be serious. How many people do you think live in apartments? Houses with no yard? Hmm? How are they supposed to grow the various fruits and vegetables that you need just to get the necessary vitamins your body needs? Not only that, how many people do you think actually *want* to maintain a 2 acre garden/orchard, just so they don't have to make weekly trips to the grocery store/farmers market to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables?

I love bagged spinach, and I'll continue to use it in salads - generally with romaine, raddichio, julienned vegetables (depending on what we have on hand) in a balsamic vinaigrette.

If you're concerned about getting sick from eating the spinach, blanch it first and pat it dry. Then shred or chop it up.

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Red leaf lettuce is supposed to be one of the healhtiest greens out there. And I love green leaf! I had only recently discovered "sneeking" spinach into my kids' salads without any complaints...it's kinda sad, you try and do something healthy and then this crap comes up-pardon the pun.

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