Back in the spring, I saw these pictures in my newsfeed on Facebook, of Salad-in-a-Jar. I thought it looked like a cool idea, so I tried it. Naturally, I took pictures of it, and posted about it (as one does, because - Facebook). Who knew that salad would generate so many comments and questions? Tons of people were interested. I got to be the guinea pig, and after a week, I made my report:
Success! I'm a convert. Today's salad was about as good as the first one, and seems to have held up over the 5 days. I suspect that it helped that I used dark greens (baby spinach). I still feel like lettuce would have gotten slimy, but the spinach was dry. No condensation. The hardboiled egg did not get "stinky" as someone asked about. The tomatoes are even still pretty firm, which surprised me. Again, I think it helped that I used whole berries, not ones that were cut up (not sure how strawberries would last, for example). But I'm willing to do it again and try, because I think the key is the Mason jars. Air-tight seals make a difference, and they're used for preserves. I guess it makes sense that they keep veggies pretty fresh for a week.
Basically, as long as the salad dressing is on the bottom, and the lettuce/spinach is on top, you can add whatever you like. I put the veggies on the bottom since they won't soak up the dressing so much (carrots, green peppers, tomatoes). Added feta and a hardboiled egg, for protein and taste. Blackberries. Pumpkin seeds. And then baby spinach on top. The idea is you turn the jar over when you're ready to eat it, and it all mixes together as you take the salad out of the jar, and you get the dressing spread over it all. You kind of need a big bowl. It would be nearly impossible to eat it from the jar, unless you wanted to eat it in layers.
Definitely a time-saver. One day of prep; 5 days of meals.
Q: Did you add nuts or seeds?
A: Seeds: raw pumpkin seeds. They added a ton of calories, but also some crunch and protein. Slivered almonds would be good, too.
Q: They didn't get soft?
A: Not really - marginally softer than Monday's, but still crunchy, and not even close to mushy (they were also closer to the top, not down in the dressing)
Hint from a friend: "Watch the salad dressing tomorrow... You might want to take some extra. Depending on how you made the dressing it sometimes has a taste change. I love salads in the jar. They really do keep for the entire week."
Hint from me: a Mason jar holds a lot of salad. So, watch where you eat it, or your friends will make fun of you for the size of your required salad bowl!
More sites:
http://www.thekitchn.com/no-more-soggy-salad-a-guide-to-the-perfect-salad-in-a-jar-186104
http://www.skinnymomskitchen.com/2013/02/12/my-thoughts-on-mason-jar-salads/
http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/
Success! I'm a convert. Today's salad was about as good as the first one, and seems to have held up over the 5 days. I suspect that it helped that I used dark greens (baby spinach). I still feel like lettuce would have gotten slimy, but the spinach was dry. No condensation. The hardboiled egg did not get "stinky" as someone asked about. The tomatoes are even still pretty firm, which surprised me. Again, I think it helped that I used whole berries, not ones that were cut up (not sure how strawberries would last, for example). But I'm willing to do it again and try, because I think the key is the Mason jars. Air-tight seals make a difference, and they're used for preserves. I guess it makes sense that they keep veggies pretty fresh for a week.
Basically, as long as the salad dressing is on the bottom, and the lettuce/spinach is on top, you can add whatever you like. I put the veggies on the bottom since they won't soak up the dressing so much (carrots, green peppers, tomatoes). Added feta and a hardboiled egg, for protein and taste. Blackberries. Pumpkin seeds. And then baby spinach on top. The idea is you turn the jar over when you're ready to eat it, and it all mixes together as you take the salad out of the jar, and you get the dressing spread over it all. You kind of need a big bowl. It would be nearly impossible to eat it from the jar, unless you wanted to eat it in layers.
Definitely a time-saver. One day of prep; 5 days of meals.
Q: Did you add nuts or seeds?
A: Seeds: raw pumpkin seeds. They added a ton of calories, but also some crunch and protein. Slivered almonds would be good, too.
Q: They didn't get soft?
A: Not really - marginally softer than Monday's, but still crunchy, and not even close to mushy (they were also closer to the top, not down in the dressing)
Hint from a friend: "Watch the salad dressing tomorrow... You might want to take some extra. Depending on how you made the dressing it sometimes has a taste change. I love salads in the jar. They really do keep for the entire week."
Hint from me: a Mason jar holds a lot of salad. So, watch where you eat it, or your friends will make fun of you for the size of your required salad bowl!
More sites:
http://www.thekitchn.com/no-more-soggy-salad-a-guide-to-the-perfect-salad-in-a-jar-186104
http://www.skinnymomskitchen.com/2013/02/12/my-thoughts-on-mason-jar-salads/
http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/
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