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Do you buy pre-checked leafy green vegetables for salads?
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Do you buy pre-checked (or greenhouse grown) leafy green vegetables?
Yes  
 78%  [ 157 ]
No  
 21%  [ 42 ]
Total Votes : 199



amother
OP


 

Post Fri, Dec 13 2019, 12:59 pm
Do you buy pre-checked (or greenhouse which doesnt need checking) leafy green vegetables, which are more expensive?

If yes, is it because you dont have the time to check vegetables?

Whether you buy pre checked or you do the checking, which leafy green vegetables do you use regularly for salads?

Can I correctly assume that if no houseware stores in a large frum community like BP sell thrip cloths and other checking equipment (besides light boxes that are sold in Eichlers, necessitating checking leaf by leaf), most women buy pre-checked vegetables? Are they all ordering thrip cloths from Star K if they use thrip cloths?

If you do check leafy green vegetables without the thrip cloth method, checking leaf by leaf, and you make larger quantities of salads for a family, doesnt it take forever?

tia

Edited: Ive been checking "Triple-washed Organic Girl" brand leafy greens very carefully with the thrip cloth method, with light box and magnifying glass, for months now, and I havent found a single insect. Neither has a relative of mine found anything, with this brand. I was scared it would take forever. Its pretty quick, once you get the hang of it, and I think much cheaper than buying checked and you have huge varieties available in Organic Girl brand.
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mha3484




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Dec 13 2019, 1:21 pm
I dont check my own lettuce. I just have enough going on in life that I don't have the time. My local grocery store sells pre checked and chopped vegetables. They check the veggies themselves its not bodek or pos tiv. They usually have spinach, romaine, green cabbage, spring mix for greens and just other veggies for your convenience. Its worth the price for me. I think a half lb container of romaine is around $5-6 dollars.

I also buy frozen broccoli and brussel sprouts that are bodek.

Cauliflower I check myself when I have the time or buy bodek when I need a fast side dish.
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thunderstorm




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Dec 13 2019, 1:35 pm
amother [ OP ] wrote:
Do you buy pre-checked (or greenhouse which doesnt need checking) leafy green vegetables, which are more expensive?

If yes, is it because you dont have the time to check vegetables?

Whether you buy pre checked or you do the checking, which leafy green vegetables do you use regularly for salads?

Can I correctly assume that if no houseware stores in a large frum community like BP sell thrip cloths and other checking equipment (besides light boxes that are sold in Eichlers, necessitating checking leaf by leaf), most women buy pre-checked vegetables? Are they all ordering thrip cloths from Star K if they use thrip cloths?

If you do check leafy green vegetables without the thrip cloth method, checking leaf by leaf, and you make larger quantities of salads for a family, doesnt it take forever?

tia

If you are making large amounts and checking each leaf it can take a long time. If I need to use lettuce for a crowd I designate time for checking. It can be done in advance and then layer lettuce and paper towels so it remains crisp and seal in a zip loc challah band
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agreer




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Dec 13 2019, 1:35 pm
I don't check buggy vegetables ever, like lettuces/kale or broccoli. It's not worth the time and I don't even think some vegetables are checkable.

I'll either buy prechecked or make a salad with veggies that don't need checking. As expensive as the checked veggies are, it's really not worth eat to eat bugs. Each bug is it's own aveira.
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amother
OP


 

Post Fri, Dec 13 2019, 2:33 pm
agreer wrote:
I don't check buggy vegetables ever, like lettuces/kale or broccoli. It's not worth the time and I don't even think some vegetables are checkable.

I'll either buy prechecked or make a salad with veggies that don't need checking. As expensive as the checked veggies are, it's really not worth eat to eat bugs. Each bug is it's own aveira.



Ive been checking "Triple-washed Organic Girl" brand leafy greens very carefully with the thrip cloth method, with light box and magnifying glass, for months now, and I havent found a single insect. Neither has a relative of mine found anything, with this brand. I was scared it would take forever. Its pretty quick, once you get the hang of it, and I think much cheaper than buying checked and you have huge varieties available in Organic Girl brand.
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amother
Pewter


 

Post Fri, Dec 13 2019, 3:12 pm
I hate to say it but I have found bugs in the "heimishe" salad AT LEAST as often as any other, probably more. Being that, as a result, I feel I have to recheck anyway,its just not worth the money when I have found several other brands of triplewashed greens that are as good or better. Organic girl, as several have said, is really clean. Uncle Vinny's too.
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amother
Denim


 

Post Fri, Dec 13 2019, 4:52 pm
No, I don't buy pre checked. It's much much more expensive than standard leafy greens are, at least where I live. I use the crc alternate method. Sometimes I find a few bugs, but rarely is it actually infested to the point that I throw out the batch. Usually the water is completely clear on my second round of soaking/ agitating. https://www.crcweb.org/vegetab.....w.php
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Ruchel




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Dec 14 2019, 12:05 pm
Nope, I would have to check them anyway as it's my resp and I'm not interested in paying
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amother
Navy


 

Post Sat, Dec 14 2019, 12:10 pm
Here in Israel I buy Gush Katif brand for lettuce and buggy stuff. That said, we all know that our grandmothers didn't use light boxes or thrip cloths, and back in the day, pesticides were non-existent and/or a lot less effective than they are today. (With the possible exception of the DDT years, 1945-72.)
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FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Dec 14 2019, 6:36 pm
I found a bunch of aphids in a bag of triple washed, hechshered lettuce once, and I got so grossed out that I decided I would deal with the extra work and trust my own eyes from now on.

I will also buy fresh broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries, and other things that are hard to check, because I value fresh food, and I can take my time in the kitchen. (It's easier if you don't have a big family.)

I don't go crazy with a thrip cloth, but I know an aphid when I see one. 👀
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amother
Pewter


 

Post Sat, Dec 14 2019, 6:40 pm
FranticFrummie wrote:
I found a bunch of aphids in a bag of triple washed, hechshered lettuce once, and I got so grossed out that I decided I would deal with the extra work and trust my own eyes from now on.

I will also buy fresh broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries, and other things that are hard to check, because I value fresh food, and I can take my time in the kitchen. (It's easier if you don't have a big family.)

I don't go crazy with a thrip cloth, but I know an aphid when I see one. 👀


This exactly. Except that I have found bugs in hechshered products several times. I buy everything fresh and simply factor checking into my food prep time. We eat a lot of fresh veggies and if I am having something that takes a lot of time to check I serve it with other things that don't.
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Rutabaga




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Dec 14 2019, 7:19 pm
I buy prechecked postiv lettuce for $3-4 a bag at my local kosher supermarket. We don't eat salad every night or even every week (we eat plenty of other veggies, don't worry!) so it doesn't add up to a lot of money and I'd rather spend the money than my time. I buy the occasional box of checked fresh spinach or herbs that is checked by the store for a little more $ than the lettuce per ounce, but that's even less frequent than the lettuce. All other fruits and veggies I check myself.
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amother
OP


 

Post Sat, Dec 14 2019, 7:28 pm
Rutabaga wrote:
I buy prechecked postiv lettuce for $3-4 a bag at my local kosher supermarket. We don't eat salad every night or even every week (we eat plenty of other veggies, don't worry!) so it doesn't add up to a lot of money and I'd rather spend the money than my time. I buy the occasional box of checked fresh spinach or herbs that is checked by the store for a little more $ than the lettuce per ounce, but that's even less frequent than the lettuce. All other fruits and veggies I check myself.


Are you buying iceberg lettuce, or romaine? I used to use only iceberg until I read that the darker the leafy greens, the healthier, so I switched to romaine lettuce. But since all the news, multiple times. about Romaine lettuce having salmonella, I never buy Romaine. I buy spinach and kale for salads.
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amother
Blonde


 

Post Sat, Dec 14 2019, 7:30 pm
I don't check my own vegetables, I'm too nervous I'll miss something. If I was checking for months and didn't find anything, it could be that the vegetables were totally clean or it could be that I am not checking right. I would feel much more comfortable checking if I DID find a bug from time to time.
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amother
Indigo


 

Post Sat, Dec 14 2019, 7:36 pm
I have found sand more than once in frozen vegetables. I rather check my own. If they are missing sand, then what else are they missing.
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Rutabaga




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Dec 14 2019, 7:52 pm
amother [ OP ] wrote:
Are you buying iceberg lettuce, or romaine? I used to use only iceberg until I read that the darker the leafy greens, the healthier, so I switched to romaine lettuce. But since all the news, multiple times. about Romaine lettuce having salmonella, I never buy Romaine. I buy spinach and kale for salads.


Romaine. Iceberg has almost no nutritional value other than fiber. I also get nervous about the outbreaks but the kosher companies grow their own lettuce and seem less likely to be problematic.
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amother
Amber


 

Post Sat, Dec 14 2019, 8:37 pm
Organic girl has a hechsher, Korc.
I use it w/o checking.
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amother
OP


 

Post Sat, Dec 14 2019, 8:44 pm
amother [ Blonde ] wrote:
I would feel much more comfortable checking if I DID find a bug from time to time.


Its possible that they have an extremely strong jet spray that takes anything but the leaf off.

I use a 40X magnifying jewelers loupe when I see anything suspect. All I see is tiny specks of lettuce.

I cant believe any Mashgichim check leafy greens like I do. Its too time consuming.
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amother
Gold


 

Post Sat, Dec 14 2019, 8:49 pm
In Israel, you can only get bags of salad that don't need to be checked. The heads of lettuce still need to be soaked in soap water and rinsed off. Having a hechsher doesn't mean that it's completely checked, it's just grown in a place that's less likely to have bugs.
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amother
Denim


 

Post Sat, Dec 14 2019, 8:51 pm
amother [ Amber ] wrote:
Organic girl has a hechsher, Korc.
I use it w/o checking.


You can contact them yourself to confirm, but the k-orc is not an indication that the product has been checked for bugs. Not sure exactly what they're certifying, but it isn't bug free.
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