How To Tell When It's Time To Toss Out Your Salad Greens

Last week, you bought a bag of salad greens from Trader Joe's and forgot about it. Taking the bag out of the fridge and ready to make a show-stopping dinner party salad recipe, you're unsure if it's time to compost these salad greens. If you've struggled with this in the past, you don't need to worry, as we chatted with Megan McCarthy, the edible garden chef at the Atlanta Botanical Garden and the Founder of Healthy Eating 101, to get some answers. McCarthy stated, "If greens are slimy, excessively soft, or have an off or sour smell [toss them]. Browning or [a] significant change of color will be a good indicator. Pick out the pale-colored leaves too!"

When salad greens get slimy, it's similar to how cheese or bread gets moldy. Chances are bacteria have gotten to the greens, breaking down the planty cellular walls, and leaving slime as an aftermath. If the greens smell sour, they will likely taste the same way too, but not pleasantly sour like pickles or properly fermented vegetables. And who wants to eat soft, mushy salad greens anyway? It's right into the compost these greens go. 

But what if the greens are just slightly wilted and not mushy, sour-smelling, or excessively brown? Do we toss out these greens too?

If this is the case, Chef Megan McCarthy feels you can still save the salad greens. She elaborated, "Slightly wilted greens can sometimes be revived with cold water, but I toss them out if they show signs of funkiness. I often pick out greens after rinsing and drying as the wilted ones show right up!" So if your greens appear to be salvageable, soak them in some cold, perhaps iced water. Some may absorb the water and perk right up, deserving a spot again in your next salad bowl. 

Now that you know how to tell when it's time to toss out your salad greens, perhaps it's also time to learn the first step to keeping bagged salad fresh. And that is to double-check all the greens and weed out any browned, wilted, or even slimy ones right off the bat. Store the rest that passed your check into the refrigerator and don't forget about them. Be sure to use them up when they're still fresh. 

We've got plenty of great salad recipes for you to try to help you use up bags of salad greens. Definitely don't miss out on our delicious and easy everyday salad with herby lemon vinaigrette recipe.