Nothing makes a green salad more unappetizing than a pool of water at the bottom of the plate.

Solve the problem—and save time—with a salad spinner, which will remove excess water from your organic greens.

Spinners offer an added health benefit: “You’re more likely to eat salads every day with one of these around because it makes washing greens—herbs, too—a lot easier,” according to Consumer Reports’ ShopSmart magazine.

ShopSmart editors like the dishwasher-safe Oxo Good Grips Little Salad and Herb Spinner, which features a pump mechanism for one-handed operation, brake button, nonslip ring to steady the bowl on countertops and built-in 3-quart bowl for storage.

Clean greens can be stored in a covered, paper towel-lined spinner bowl for up to 5 days, according to the editors at Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food magazine.

Photo: Oxo

If you’ve been thinking about starting an organic vegetable garden, choosing your plants initially may seem overwhelming. 

The experts at Bonnie Plants, a green-gardening plant wholesaler in Union Springs, AL, recommend these six fast-growing, cold-hardy crops for fall gardeners: 

Winterbor Kale

• A nutritious leafy green
• A vigorous producer that endures winter easily, even in very cold climates
• Cut the outer leaves so the center can continue growing; space transplants about 12 inches apart 

Georgia Collards

• Similar to kale, with a stronger, sweet-cabbage flavor
• Leaves taste best when young
• Space transplants 36 inches apart  

Romaine Lettuce

• Richer in vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients than other popular lettuces
• Heart-healthy
• Space transplants 18 inches apart 

Early Dividend Broccoli

• Popular, productive and easy to grow
• High in fiber and calcium
• Set transplants 18 inches apart 

Mustard Greens

• Nutritious, with spicy leaves that taste sweeter when nipped by frost
• Fast-growing
• Space plants 12 inches apart 

Arugula

• Fast-growing, peppery-tasting leafy green that’s great in salads
• Promotes bone health
• Especially high in vitamins A, C and K

Photo courtesy of ARA

The FDA has published three draft guidances designed to help growers and others in the food supply chain minimize or eliminate microbial contamination in tomatoes, leafy greens and melons.

“These new food safety guidelines will facilitate the development of enforceable food safety standards and ensure a safer supply of fresh food for all Americans,” says FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, MD.

The guidances will be made final after a public comment period and “will be followed within two years by enforceable standards for fresh produce,” she says.

The recommendations are based on three fundamental food safety principles:

• Prevent harm to consumers
• Use good data and analysis to ensure effective food safety inspections and enforcement of the law
• Quickly identify outbreaks of foodborne illness and stop them

The guidances include recommendations regarding produce growing, harvesting, packing, processing, transportation and distribution. Recordkeeping requirements are also included to enable the FDA to rapidly determine the source of future outbreaks.

The actions taken “will result in safer food in our country, which means healthier children, longer lives and less costly healthcare,” says Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. 

“We commend the FDA for moving forward on initiatives to improve the safety of fresh produce,” adds Jim O’Hara, director of the Produce Safety Project at Georgetown University. “The proposed guidance documents put out for comment address three of the highest-risk commodities, and we hope that the agency will finalize these documents quickly. We also look forward to the agency's next steps regarding produce safety: issuance of proposed regulations. Science-based, risk-based, enforceable safety standards will restore consumer confidence in foods that are key components of a healthy diet.”

To view the actual draft guidances, follow these links:

• Tomatoes
• Leafy greens
• Melons