Preserving, Storing and Using Freshly Harvested Lettuce

Learn how to preserve, store and use your freshly harvested lettuce to make the most of your gardening efforts.

Freshly picked, loose leaf lettuce is highly perishable and can be expected to last no longer than two to three days even under the optimal conditions of 32° F and high humidity. For this reason, GardenZeus recommends that you do not harvest your loose leaf lettuce until you are ready to use it. Loose leaf lettuce will deteriorate even more quickly than head lettuce. It is particularly important to wash loose leaf lettuce several times before using; sand, other soil particles and, yes, even some insects and gastropods, can hide in its many nooks and crannies. Store tightly wrapped in the refrigerator in a plastic bag.

Humidity in refrigerators is too low for lettuce storage. To store loose leaf lettuce in your refrigerator, do so in a humid produce drawer with humidity turned up to full, or with an open bowl of water, and/or in a cloth or paper bag to reduce drying. Storing lettuce in high humidity is essential to preserve crispness.

Lettuce is highly sensitive to the ethylene gas produced by many fruits. Even exposure to low concentrations of ethylene gas stimulates the production of phenolic compounds which in turn leads to brown pigments in lettuce. So when putting lettuce in your refrigerator, make sure to place it far away from your ethylene-producing fruits.

A variety of freshly-harvested loose leaf lettuces is a feast for both the eye and the palate. Dress your lettuce with extra virgin olive oil, some good vinegar, a selection of herbs, sea salt, pepper and enjoy!

One cup of colorful, pigmented lettuce leaves provides almost half of the USDA recommended daily amount of Vitamin A.

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Other articles of interest:

Fall Planting: Getting Started with Lettuce

Container Gardening With Lettuce, Radishes and Carrots