Lactuca sativa
HEIRLOOM. One of the best tasting, most trouble-free lettuces you can grow.
- For the best quality, pick lettuce early rather than late as lettuce allowed to grow too long may be bitter and tough.
- Try to harvest in the morning when the leaves are crisp, sweet, and full of moisture.
- Harvest looseleaf types anytime the leaves are large enough to use.
- Harvest butterhead types when they have formed heads and the leaves are a good size.
- Cut the heads below the crown.
- On leaf types, you can just pick a few leaves at a time, if you like.
- Store for 5-7 days in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Many gardeners wrap leaves in moist paper towels.
- Lettuce is a classic ingredient in salads. It adds crispness to sandwiches and can be used as a garnish, braised, or added to soups. Many of the looseleaf cultivars are also decorative in the garden.