The plant needs them to keep growing. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. Sign up to receive our monthly eNewsletters, Activities (Hikes, Rafting, Zip Lining, Dining, Adventures), Activities Guide (Hikes, Rafting, Zip Lining + More). Buttercrunch lettuce (Lactuca sativa), a type of butterhead lettuce, grows in a head form as a cool-season annual. Harvesting lettuce is pretty goof-proof. This is not a difficult process as it merely involves letting your selected plants do their thing and hoping the heat doesn’t kill them before the seeds mature! When you plant lettuce, you want to sow a little thicker than the packet recommends. Cutting into the lettuce reveals a soft, folded, and blanched heart. The only real key to remember is to harvest lettuce in the morning before the sun’s heat has made the leaves limp and less juicy. Butterhead lettuce, like most lettuce, does not do well with severe temperatures, so if you are in a warmer climate, you may have been reluctant to grow this green veggie…until now. Feel the heads with the back of your hand for firmness to decide when to harvest the buttercrunch. Your email address will not be published. This lettuce receives its name from the sweet buttery flavor and delicate texture of the large, ruffled outer leaves. You can keep cut leaves fresher longer by storing them in a container or bag in the refrigerator. When it comes to the long-term preservation of vegetables, quick-to-wilt lettuce is probably the worst possible candidate. We're only a half days drive from Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, The Research Triangle Park, Charleston and Columbus. Watch for new leaves to grow from the remaining stem in the ground. Cutting into the lettuce reveals a soft, folded, and blanched heart. You can eat the leaves at any stage. Cut these individual leaves off to slow the plant's chances of producing a flower, which makes bitter leaves, and to eat as leaf lettuce. Many times we’ll just tear the lettuce, adding nothing else to the salad, because this lettuce deserves to be the star of the show. But believe it or not, I have two rather unconventional ways that keep your spring and fall lettuce haul around longer than the few days that picked leaves stay fresh in the fridge.Though lettuce is the leaf supreme for fresh salads, this plant is surprisingly not just a one-trick pony. An additional consideration when it comes to harvesting lettuce is whether or not you should be planting next year’s salads. When the head feels firm to the touch, it’s a good signal the time has arrived! For Romaine and leaf varieties, you could also choose to pick the big outer leaves and let the inner leaves continue to develop for a surprisingly long time. If any of you are adventurous fermenters, it’s well worth the experiment. Both are viable options. Will you harvest the whole thing, or pick a few leaves at a time? When harvesting lettuce, whether cutting leaves or bringing in the whole plant, a sharp knife is a great tool. The few survivors and descendants of the Yiddish families who once knew this way of using lettuce carried the memory to the present day. Further research led me to a memoir by Gail Singer and Alexandra Grigorieva (which is free to read online). We are about an hours drive from Asheville, Waynesville, the Biltmore Estate, the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, Cades Cove, Pigeon Forge, and Cataloochee. Author: Wren Everett // Last updated on September 29, 2020 Leave a Comment. If you’re growing your own lettuce, you already know that the best lettuce is the stuff you harvested from the garden 10 minutes earlier. Grabbing a pinch, holding it a few inches from the jar, and dropping it back in will clean the seeds from the rest of the material pretty well in a few minutes. Enjoy the cheery, daisy-like yellow flowers as they open, and then wait for the seed stalk to dry to a papery brown. Refrigerate freshly harvested buttercrunch lettuce in plastic wrap, unwashed, for up to two weeks. If you are growing multiple varieties of lettuce, you don’t even really have to worry about cross-pollination Lettuce is self-pollinating and will rarely cross with other varieties. How to Harvest Heads of Lettuce. You can revive those sad-looking leaves by floating them in a large bowl of icy water. One seed will become hundreds. This buttermilk salad dressing is all the salad needs to satisfy us. Cut the stem with a sharp knife just above the outer leaves of the lettuce to remove the head while leaving behind the dirtier outer leaves. When the head feels firm to the touch, it’s a good signal the time has arrived! Also, be sure to leave at least 4 to 6 six leaves at the center. It requires up to 75 days before it's ready to harvest, but if you want to extend the harvest season, you can encourage the plant to grow more lettuce after you remove the first head. Buttercrunch lettuce (Lactuca sativa), a type of butterhead lettuce, grows in a head form as a cool-season annual. Maybe secret a few plants in a cold frame to extend the harvest, and dream of that first flush of early spring leaves once winter’s grip has weakened. This may take a surprisingly long time (as in weeks) so be patient. Similac Organic Formula: Is it healthier? The following Buttercrunch plant info discusses how to grow lettuce ‘Buttercrunch’ and its care. While thumbing through The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz, I came across a brief mention of salata (lettuce pickles) and lettuce kvass. For butterhead lettuce that can be about 45-55 days, while romaine and other ones with tighter heads can take about 80-85 days. These dishes can be cooked and frozen, and while it may not be the most instinctive way to use lettuce, it is a viable way to set aside a large harvest for later use. Just be sure to work from the outside in — those tender, tiny, inner leaves are still full of potential growth. If you have planted heirloom varieties of lettuce, you should plan on allowing some of your best plants to go to seed. Storing and Preserving Lettuce. If you really need to keep a large amount fresh for a longer time, try the same method used by those funny containers of “live lettuce” at the grocery store. You can store them in the freezer or in a dry, dark place. Rubbing the stalk between my hands produces a fluffy mess. LETTUCE AND PEA SOUP WITH CHILLI, DILL PESTO//, A post shared by R U P A B O D H A N I (@the_social_cook_) on Sep 2, 2020 at 5:16am PDT. Though bolting begins to reduce a lettuce plant’s productivity (it is putting all its energy into making a seed stalk, after all) it will repay you exponentially in future harvests. Enjoy it for fall. If you’ve never grown lettuce before, you still have time to get it in the ground this fall, and harvest a handful of beautiful greens for the kitchen. Uproot the entire plant, and store it in the refrigerator with the roots in a container of water and a damp paper towel or plastic bag over the leaves. Easy Upcycling: Give New Life To Old Lampshades – With A Stencil! I know, I know. The time it takes for a lettuce head to become ready for harvest will depend on the variety. For Crisphead and Butterhead varieties, you will probably want to wait until the plant has formed for a large, one-time harvest. Parris Island Cos Romaine Lettuce Pirat Butterhead Lettuce We have closed seed sales for the remainder of 2020 due to low inventory and high field work demands. Also, if you find that your fresh-harvested lettuce wilted between being picked and making it to the kitchen, don’t despair! A quick, clean slice keeps the plant from getting dirty and also allows plants that are continually harvested to quickly heal. But those of us with gardens know that lettuce is far more than that. I like to pile the material in a mason jar and take it outside on a gently breezy day. It … Sold each weighing 1/2 pound. stir-fried with ginger, garlic and soy sauce, Egg Substitutes For When The Chickens Have Stopped Laying, Afghan City Builds DIY Internet Out Of Trash, 9 Expert Builders Share Their Measuring Tape Tricks, Coke – Not Pepsi – Removes Carcinogenic Caramel Coloring, Creative Recycling: 5 Ways To Reuse Old Denim Jeans. Even though lettuce is familiar to most of us, there’s still a lot to discover with this common plant. How to Harvest Romaine Lettuce It will prolong their crispness for around a week, maybe. Then, as lettuces leaf out, you have choices. For Crisphead and Butterhead varieties, you will probably want to wait until the plant has formed for a large, one-time harvest. How to Harvest Buttercrunch Lettuce. Planted early in the spring and fall for multiple harvests a year, easy to grow, and quick to harvest, lettuce is far more than a mere vector for ranch dressing. As plants grow and begin to crowd, you can thin out the extras as delicious baby greens. This lettuce receives its name from the sweet buttery flavor and delicate texture of the large, ruffled outer leaves. Growing Leeks: From Starting Seeds to Blanching Bulbs, 17 Effective DIY Dishwasher Detergent Recipes. Butterhead lettuce is generally grown to full-size heads and receives its name from the sweet buttery flavor and delicate texture of the large, ruffled outer leaves. Mountain Harvest Organics was established with the goal of supplying our community with fresh food that has been grown and raised using sustainable and healthy farming practices.