For the Love of Lettuce

I love it when readers ask questions about the garden, because I take a lot of these things for granted and don't realize they are worth writing about.  When you ask, it makes me realize that there are questions that I can answer, and it inspires a post like this one.  It makes me relieved that I'm not just writing a bunch of drivel into a vacuum.  It could still be a bunch of drivel, but at least it's not into a black hole -- hey, whaddayaknow! Someone's out there to comment and question!

This has turned into one heck of a long post.  I've changed the settings on the blog so that my full posts are readable in feedreaders, not just excerpts, so if you must, go ahead and skim or do a drive-by reading.  I don't really like that, because I want you to actually visit my blog, and comment, dognammit.  (We're bloggers.  We love comments.)  The list of blogs that I can actually get to, read, and comment upon has shrunk dramatically, so I'm as guilty as the next person on that score.  I'm sorry about that, and I'll admit to being totally selfish in that regard.   

So I'll try this for a while and see how it goes.  It is sometimes hard to find the time to click in, I know, and yesterday I had trouble getting my own blog to load -- it must have been a Typepad glitch -- and that's why I changed the settings.

Our friend Kim recently asked some good questions about lettuce and when to cut it and how and when to replant it to extend the season. Who knew I could have so much to say about the humble lettuce?  I really didn't realize it until she asked. 

But wait, it's not really so humble, the lettuce.  There are the three or four varieties you find in the grocery store, but that's not the end of the lettuce story.  There is really so much more. 

I love lettuce and lettuce blends.  I like the sweet, the crisp, the green, the pale, the dark, the mottled, the red, the slightly bitter, the buttery, the bland, the exotic, the pedestrian. 

Having the garden inspires so much creativity in food preparation.

Lunch yesterday: Local smoked turkey with mixed greens from the garden, on Ezekiel bread with garlic scape mayo. 

Seanna Lea the other day remarked that she'd need to look up some things, because I keep throwing around that word "bolt" and she has no idea what it means with regard to plants. 

It means that the plant has basically given up the ghost and is trying to send out flowers, then seeds.  That is really what a plant is meant to do, you know -- make seeds for the survival of the species.  When a particular plant has come near the end of its growing season or it undergoes some sort of environmental stress such as too much heat, humidity, rain or drought, the plant sends out -- in the case of lettuce and spinach for example -- a tall center stem with flower buds on it.  Here is a photo of a lettuce plant that is just starting to bolt:

 

This one is still doing fine and is edible and probably salvageable, but that center stem should not be there.  Lettuce should be a nice short, bushy plant (except for tall Romaines, but even they should not have a tall center stem -- unless you want to grow it for seed, that is). 

When lettuce bolts, the leaves are all but inedible -- bitter to the extreme.  So the point with these crops that prefer cooler weather (all lettuces, most greens, radishes, etc.) is to keep them young and keep them watered, and perhaps shaded, so they will not bolt when it turns hot and humid, because they will as soon as you turn your back. 

So plant early and plant often -- I sow a few new seeds every week or two so I have a continuous supply of new salad materials throughout the season.  Even then, there are sometimes high-heat-and-humidity conditions that make it futile.

Some people have the mistaken idea that you should harvest the "outer leaves."  I say bunk on that one.  That just encourages the center to grow up and that is not what you want, especially in lettuce and spinach.  You want to pinch back the center in the case of spinach, and you want to cut the lettuce almost to the ground, like so:

Items in photo are larger than they appear.  These are cut about, oh, 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch from the ground, though some larger pieces of leaves are left.

The ones below are the same variety of lettuce, the seeds were sown at the same time (Hank's garden, remember?), and I cut these and watered and fertilized with Gardener's Supply's all-purpose organic fertilizer, two or three days ago.  See how much bright red regrowth has already occurred? 

 

Here is an older bed of lettuce that has been mature and producing quite a few cuttings already this season.  It is a delicious seed mix of lettuces and greens labeled "Paris Market Mix" from Renee's Garden, though my seed packet was from last year and seems to be lacking the reds that are in the description.  Still, a wonderful salad blend.  I need to buy more. 

 

I cut this one back three days ago, watered it heavily and gave it a feeding of Starbucks coffee grounds, and it's growing back vigorously already. 

It's important, by the way, to cut the lettuce in the cool of the day, preferably in the morning, and water it after you cut it.  Avoid cutting it in the midday sun, and don't water it in the sun, either.  Each drop of water will act like a magnifying glass in the sun and burn the leaves.

A little feeding of liquid kelp or any other high-nitrogen natural fertilizer, given every week or couple of weeks, does wonders, too, as does lime in my soil (your soil may vary).  And this cut-and-come-again culture does not work very well with head lettuces like iceberg or butter lettuce -- they just produce one head per plant and then they're done.  Technically you can do it, but I have found it not worth the effort.  I just plant more.  I find it not that successful with Romaine, either, unless it's cut as a baby lettuce.  

After a while, even the best-cared-for cut-and-come-again lettuce gets tired.  So I rip it out, add compost or a touch of balanced organic fertilizer, and put in new seeds.  These germinated practically overnight this week:

 

They'll be ready to eat in about 3-4 weeks -- sooner if I harvest them as microgreens.  Or maybe not at all if that rabbit finds the garden.  Eek.

Then what do I do with it, you may be wondering.

After I cut the lettuce in the morning, I bring it in the house immediately, before it has a chance to wilt.  I fill a sink with water and pour in quite a lot of salt.  I buy the cheapest salt I can find for this purpose.  The salt pulls the earwigs, caterpillars, and slugs, if any, away from the leaves, and kills them (or at least makes them damn sick) so they wash down the drain.  I swish the salt around in the water to dissolve it, and I usually add some vinegar to the water, as well.  I have no scientific basis for this, but I feel that the vinegar helps to clean the lettuce of lots of undesirable things that might be on it -- it is growing outdoors, you know.  There are birds and dogs and cats, and, well, I just think the vinegar makes me feel better about all that.   

Throw in the leaves and soak and swish them around in the water for a while. 

 

Gently pull them out in handfuls and place in a large bowl or colander while you drain out the first sinkful of water.  Look at the dirt and debris in there:

 

Sometimes there are more bugs and slugs, but this time there were hardly any. 

Now fill the sink up again with just plain water for a final rinse and do the same soak/swish maneuver.  Pull the leaves out.  Once in a while, if there has been a tough rainstorm that has washed dirt up underneath the leaves, you will have to individually wash some of the leaves under running water, but usually the sinkful-of-water method is my only method.

 

Abigail gave me my beloved salad spinner for Mother's Day 1995 or '6.

This thing must have been used 4,999 times so far.  It is the best! I usually take the leaves out of the sink and put them in here, spin them dry, and put the whole shebang into the crisper drawer in the refrigerator.  This works the best of any method I know to crisp up and keep fresh salad greens.  Love it!

Grab greens as needed.

Of course, sometimes there are still greens in this thing and I have more to process.  That's why I recently bought the two Salad Sacs I mentioned the other day.  Still, we are only two people (usually), and that's a lot of greens.  But we do a pretty good job of using them up.  This time of year we eat salad at least twice a day, and not a small amount of salad, but huge dinner salads.  I'm only sad we don't have a longer growing season.

Comments

[gayle]

Actually, picking outer leaves of things like lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, etc, helps prevent bolting. It's a day-length thing. The outer leaves have been exposed to the most day-length changes, and regulate the It's-Time-to-Make-Seeds-Before-We-Die process. The newer leaves don't know from shit about how the day-length is changing, so they just keep carrying on.

[livnletlrn]

Thanks for changing the setting so we can see the whole post in the feed reader!

My most recent blog post included a link to a new favorite salad here, spinach strawberry salad. Even my 14 y.o. son had seconds! My husband has a wholesale bakery at home and he vends at a local farmers' market, where we love to swap for all those delicious greens. 'Tis the season!

[AnnaMarie]

We just picked 10 bags for the farmer's market! I have reds out the wazoo.... I wonder if yours didn't germinate along with the greens. I've been eating a ton of salad, my ears might be longer but I'm okay with that *g*

[Starshadow Rivaulx]

Hi! I like the new settings, being able to see the whole post in the feed reader is a treat for me. And as you can see, I did click over here to the site to post my comment. :)

I love salads. Looking at the pictures of your yummy veggies is making me long for some fresh greens right about now.

p/s - I think if you add baking soda to the vinegar+salt+water mixture in the sink, if it's draining a bit sluggish? There will be fizzing and such, but you will get clear pipes in the end.

[Vitpil]

OK, so I have a question about fertiziler. I also use the Garden's Supply all purpose fertilizer, and mix it into the dirt/compost mix when planting. But how do you fertilize after the plants are in the ground? Do you dig a trench around the plant and add the fertilizer, put it on top of the dirt around the plant, cover with a layer of compost and then water in, or...? I know if it gets too close to the plant/roots it could burn the plant. So what is the best way to do this? Also, do you use the coffee grounds straight on the plant/ground or do you compost them first? I didn't know lettuce liked coffee grounds.

My plants are pretty beat after the hail we had last night. The larger plants might be all right, but my lettuce seedlings look pretty beat down. And my peas too! I'm so sad, but hope the sun might perk everything up? If not, time to re-seed I guess.

[Vicki]

My gardening mojo is just not here this year. I haven't even planted my front porch planter -- it's sitting out there with nothing but dirt in it. Maybe today... going to the farmer's market, wanting some basil, maybe something else will grab me. Anyway, I am living vicariously or something... loving these garden posts!

[aubree]

this was great, norma! i discovered the love of lettuce this year, after being told all my life that growing lettuce "wasn't worth it" because it was always too bitter. Its been some of my most favorite crops from the garden so far--so tasty and delish. thanks for the advice, too, and for changing to read in the feeder--much easier for this mama of two little kids!!

[Kim]

Thanks Norma! Lots of good tips, especially the salt. Let me ask you about Romaine. Do you cut that back or do you let it grow to maturity?

[Kim]

whoops........just reread about Romaine. :)

[sandy]

I have greens envy.

[Cookie]

Damnit! I'm hungry again and it's your fault!

Thanks for the tip about the salt and vinegar. I'll try it if I ever remember to plant lettuce early enough.

[Ann]

Salad spinner is also useful when wet blocking small knits. When I discovered taht a baby sweater or pair of lacy socks or a scarf fit just fine inmy spinner, I was in heaven!

No more stomping on wet knit and towel jelly rolls!

[Elizabeth]

Another way to "extend" the lettuce season is to not plant lettuce in full sun. Germination takes a little longer, but your "harvest season" will be longer too. My lettuce is in a Gro-Bed (thanks, Norma!) on the east side of my house. The bed gets direct morning sun but by the time the sun gets hot it's beating down on the south-side daylilies. When I lived in NJ the lettuce was in the light shade provided by old, tall oak trees, and did well.

I buy salad mix rather than "head lettuce". Salad mix is meant to be harvested early and often.

(Most lettuce will still bolt if it's pretty much fully-grown and we have several days of temps in the 80s.)

[marianne]

Mmmm, I'm wanting a huge dinner salad right now. Your lettuce is SO pretty!

[Gillian]

Thanks for the discussion about the lettuce. I had bought seedlings as I'm not always that lucky with seeds. Anyway you gave me some useful info. Now I can try more things.

[Elizabeth]

Thanks so much for expanding the posts to the feed readers! That's the way I most like to read and now I have time to read yours more often! Great garden! Really jealous. I have a black thumb. :)

[Katie B.]

I click over to read - I've been doing it for a good two years now, and it ain't broke! ;)

I do have a garden question. I recall that you posted last year about keeping the bottom leaves of tomatoes from turning yellow, but I don't remember what you said you do. Could you please repeat it for our benefit? Thanks!

[Carol]

I read something recently about commercial farms finding traces of antibiotics in their produce when they have fertilized crops with manure from industrial-raised cattle - ya know, the ones with 2 inches of leg room that are habitually shot up with drugs to keep them healthy in unhealthy conditions? Anyhoo, do you think you can get a buzz off lettuce continuously fertilized with Starbucks?

[Birdsong]

This is absolutely the most complete and photogenic version of growing greens I have ever seen... and I READ gardening books from cover to cover. Great job, and a wonderful public service you are doing here, too!

[sandy]

Went to my farm stand today. They were selling garlic scapes for 50 cents each. I did not buy any. Just wanted to share
LX

[Tracy J.]

Thanks, Norma, that was really interesting even for a non-gardener. Also, I still click over to read.

[elizabeth a airhart]

sometimes when the greens are a little limp
just put them in ice water for a while

romaine is so good with a shrimp filling avacado on top
all rolled up and cold potatoe soup in lovely bowls
cream puffs with pina colda ice cream and fresh berries

you are generous with us thank you

[minnie]

we got a late start on the garden, so i'm still picking baby lettuces,lol. since i'm trying to encourage growth of the healthier specimens, i've been pulling them up by the roots, and having "microgreens" for lunch. i like them better than the rest of the house, so while wemay only have salad for dinner once or twice a week, i'll have it 3 or 4 times a week for partof my lunch. love it! (i've got a blend that has leaf lettuce, oakleaf lettuce, redleaf lettuce and romaine, and baby romaine is DIVINE!)

[Zardra]

I just love reading your gardening posts; they give me the chance to live vicariously. :) My apt just has a small balcony and a family of demonic squirrels that love killing my potted plants by burying things in the dirt. This year, however, your posts have inspired me to give even a little something I try, so I'm giving it a go with a basil plant and a cherry tomato plant.

[Kristen]

I have to say that reds are my favorites. I don't know why, but they just seem especially tasty to me.

Zardra--I feel your pain. I also battle squirrels in my "garden." I've found regular scatterings of cayenne pepper helps deter them.

[Sarah]

Hmmm...so it was bolting that my lettuce did. Better luck next time, eh?

I like your cleaning process.

[Seanna Lea]

Thank you so much for the information!

I just put a bunch of swiss chard in the ground, but I will probably have to do another round this week. It's just a learning process, and this June has been almost completely devoid of sun. The only plants that are truly happy right now are the one random potato and the tomoto plant, water lovers that they are.

A couple of my plants have holes in their leaves, but when I turn the leaves over and look at the stems there aren't any bugs (or slugs or what have you) attached to them. I keep checking, but I haven't seen anything suspicious.