Anyone else having spinach withdrawal? We routinely use fresh bagged spinach at least twice a week. I refuse to use the canned stuff at all, and I haven't used frozen for anything but soup in years.

Does anyone have tips on using frozen spinach as the main ingredient of a recipe?

I'm going to get up very early Saturday morning and fight the crowds at the farmer's market in hopes that I will find some locally grown spinach for sale.

I had a salad with Romaine Monday; wasn't the same.

I looked for some bagged arugula instead but no go on that either. How long do you think this will last?

I've been craving a big spinach salad ever since this started. I have some planted, but the seedlings are only now getting their first true leaves, so it will be a while.

You know, I’ve started worrying about buying any bagged fresh greens now, except those grown locally. I have read in the past that they are all subject to the same kind of contamination — and they say that even washing them at home doesn’t help.

We bought some local romaine, too, Kim, and I agree, it fell pretty flat!

If anyone read “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” — I was wondering whether the cattle feeding procedures it describes might contribute to this E. coli infection problem, which the news reports say came from cow manure. The book talks a lot about how feeding cows with corn, which their stomachs are not designed to digest, makes the cows more likely to get sick, so they are also loaded up with antibiotics. So doesn’t it seem probable that manure from cows fed on corn would be more likely to have more of the harmful E. coli?

- Roz (looking forward to eating salad in Italy next week!)

I think I'm giving up on bagged greens, Roz, in spite of the convenience. This isn't the first time they've been implicated in E. coli infections.

I remember reading in Omnivore's Dilemma that E. coli was unknown until the early 70s. It seems like he did implicate the cattle feedlots, but I can't remember for sure, and my book has been passed on.

I've got a bunch of lettuces, mesclun mix, arugula and spinach planted in my fall vegetable garden. If I can just hold off the slugs and snails, I'll be set for this winter. I can't grow greens here in the heat of summer, so maybe it will have to just become a seasonal treat.

Roz -

I never read the book, but my understanding of the contamination problem is that when manure is not properly "aged" ie - dried or composted, then the E.coli bacteria, which is normally found in all our colons (cows and human) hence the name coli, stays alive and becomes dangerous if ingested (ok in large intestine, not ok if eaten). If cow manure is properly composted first, it is a soil enhancer; I'm not sure it should matter whether the cows are fed corn and antibiotics or not - E.coli will always be in the large bowel to some degree or another.

Actually, I was always with the understanding that antibiotics actually killed E.coli. These little buggers are key to our proper digestion in the large bowel, and when they get killed off when your doctor prescribes certain antibiotics, you incompletely digest your food, hence why some people get "the runs" when they take certain antibiotics. As for the cows, maybe the antibiotics they take either 1)incompletely kill off all the E.coli, or 2) antibiotic-resistant strains of E.coli have developed (which is scary).

I, too, am going through spinach withdrawal. I did use frozen spinach for veggie lasagne this week, but am also looking for some local offerings.

I keep reading that the organic spinach was not affected. I wonder if I feel brave enough to try it. Bagged (usually organic) spinach is at the top of our food chain.

Earline -- I don't think the fact that spinach is organic necessarily means it is safer than thenon-organic stuff. Articles I've read recommend not eating ANY bagged spinach, organic or not; at least not raw. One article said "officials" said it would be safe if cooked to 160 for at least 15 seconds, but others say no...

This is certainly not helping the economy here in California, where growers are now plowing under their spinach crop.

quote:

Originally posted by Earline:
I keep reading that the organic spinach was not affected.

Not true. In fact, an article on the NPR website says that the company originally under investigation was a grower of organic produce. See: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6084158

Organically grown food is frequently fertilized with cow manure. If it's not properly sterilized before being applied, it can contain E.coli bacteria.

For the moment, I'm still buying local, non-bagged spinach; usually we'll have it for a few weeks to come.

How about leavy veg like swiss chard that is never bagged? We get chard quite late in the autumn here, but in the winter it certainly comes from places like California and Mexico.

I do often use frozen spinach in the winter, not in salads obviously but in omelettes, quiches and even sautéed with garlic and olive oil. It is very common - and cheap - in European supermarkets, sold in little ... turds.

quote:

sold in little ... turds.

eh?

Chris- to hold off your snails and slugs...
Place small saucers filled with beer (mine love Pabst Blue Ribbon) They crawl in an die a peacful death.
Not pleasant- but It will save the garden!
Sandi

An interesting story in today's Sacramento Bee about the problems with the water supply in the Salinas Valley, where the E.Coli-tainted spinach originated. Considering how much of this country's produce, bagged or not, comes from the Salinas Valley, this is potentially really bad news.

Count me among the sad.

I never realized just how much baby spinach i consumed! (For some crazy reason the stats are higher for 50+ females)

During my stint in Mexico, (old not new) I had everything and more. Believe me, e Coli is not something you want.

Pat

OK - this is guaranteed to turn you OFF fresh bagged spinach forever...my sister emailed this to me this morning. The theory here is the water used to clean the leaves had polliwogs in it!

Oops - can't get the image to show up - will wait for mods to do their magic.

Judy

** Edited - hopefully our magic worked **

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kim,

Is that a frog?????

anyway... that's not spinach!

OMG!!!

Never eating bagged anything again!

Kim - thanks for your magic. And yes, it is a frog.

And Giulia -- spinach or not, it is absolutely disgusting..

Yes, it's disgusting if it's real!
Did your sister take the picture or was she sent this by someone who received this.....etc etc?
Do you know how long it takes for an adult frog to develope from a polliwog? My tadpoles never "lasted" enough for me to see the whole thing (poor them!) but I'm sure that it takes a lot, probably a few months... (but someone may wish to correct me), so I guess that it's a very good fake photo...

OK Giulia -- you are what we in the US refer to as a Party Pooper! (a very loveable party pooper, though). And way too logical.

I checked the tadpole to frog lifecycle - and from tadpole to fully developed frog is, indeed, about 12 weeks, so it certainly sounds like it is a doctored photo. (and no - my sister didn't take it, just passed it along)

So call me gullible; but after seeing it I have lost my desire for bagged vegetables of any sort.

Judy

By the way, by "little turds", I mean "petites crottes" - a common presentation of frozen spinach in Europe is pellets, handy to throw into soup or a pasta sauce. We also get them here; I buy them at the famous Milano grocery on Saint-Laurent.

It is an important question because health experts also tell us to eat far more dark-green vegetables...

I say that's photo shop all the way.But "cute".
Has anyone tried Collard Greens instead of Spinach? RR

Judy,
sorry for pooping your party!
You know, the bagged veggies in the photos are actually the only ones that I buy (when I'm in Madrid) and it really worried me at the beginning....
BTW, does anybody know the name of those vegetables in English? It's canónigos in Spanish, Valeriana or Soncino in Italian...