Lettuce comes in many shapes, colors, and flavors. We grow open (loose) and closed (ball) head lettuce varieties as well as salad greens which are simply small loose heads of lettuce picked as loose leaves rather than picking the entire head at once. Our lettuce varieties include Forellenschluss, Green Salad Bowl, Giant Ceasar, Bibb, Crisphead, Iceberg, Rouge d'Hiver, Red Romaine, and many more. Lettuce is a cold weather crop which grows best around 65 degrees so is only available in early spring/summer or sometimes in late fall.
Estimated Picking Dates: early June to early July
Cleaning/Preparing: Follow same procedure as for all salad greens. Wash all loose greens before storage! Closed head lettuce such as iceberg can be washed before use if the head is not wet and muddy or wilted. (Picking lettuce in or after the rain causes it to be wet and muddy. Picking lettuce in extreme heat can cause flash wilting which can be reversed by washing in cold water as described below.)
Fill sink or large bowl with very cold or ice water. Remove dry, damaged outer leaves. Swish and soak greens for a few minutes to let dirt float to the bottom. Lift clean greens off the top of the water leaving the dirt behind. Repeat if very dirty. Shake off extra water or spin until very dry after final rinsing. (For open head lettuce grasp all leaves in one hand and core end in the other hand. Twist to remove core which will separate the leaves making it easier to wash away dirt trapped at the base of the plant. Remove any dry, damaged outer leaves. These leaves protect the tasty inner leaves during transportation like plastic wrap, but are not meant to be eaten.)
*Cold soak for 20 minutes can re-crisp wilted greens and then refrigerate in a sealed container to continue re-crisping, 24 hours refridgerated for best results.
If you want to make sure your greens are sanitized use the following procedure: Leafy Green Wash
1 cup distilled white vinegar
3 cups water
1-2 t. salt (optional) - enhances anti-bacterial properties
Mix the water and vinegar together in a bowl. Allow your greens to soak in the bowl for about 2 minutes, then rinse them well. Proceed with standard drying (spin or shake and roll in towel)
Storage: Follow same procedure as for all salad greens. Lay out fairly dry greens on a towel or paper towel, roll up the towel, seal in a plastic bag, and refrigerate. Or store in your salad spinner, covered. Greens will wilt instead of crisping if the greens are not sealed in an airtight container/bag. The "Forever Bags" and Tupperware FridgeSmart containers are excellent storage options as well. I never put greens on the top shelf or back of the fridge due to the increased possibility of freezing. Properly washed and stored greens should last 5 days to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Watch "Salad Daze" episode of Good Eats for a visual instruction on caring for your greens and preparing them with perfection!
Preparing: If you have loose leaf lettuce greens which you washed and stored properly, then your ingredient is already prepared. If you have head lettuce, remove outer leaves, rinse, cut out core and chop to size for your purposes. Torn leaves will last a little longer than leaves cut with a sharp chef's knife on a cutting board.
Featured Recipe: Taco Salad
Other common uses: Serve fresh. Lettuce does not stand up well under any heat or freezing forms of preparation. I primarily makes cold salads with lettuce.
Substitutes: I interchange lettuce varieties with each other, spinach, or leafy garden herbs. They all taste slightly different so there is no one to one substitute. Common flavor profiles are spicy, herb, peppery, and bright. For lettuce pairings in dishes see Blue Apron's guide.
Cleaning/Preparing: Follow same procedure as for all salad greens. Wash all loose greens before storage! Closed head lettuce such as iceberg can be washed before use if the head is not wet and muddy or wilted. (Picking lettuce in or after the rain causes it to be wet and muddy. Picking lettuce in extreme heat can cause flash wilting which can be reversed by washing in cold water as described below.)
Fill sink or large bowl with very cold or ice water. Remove dry, damaged outer leaves. Swish and soak greens for a few minutes to let dirt float to the bottom. Lift clean greens off the top of the water leaving the dirt behind. Repeat if very dirty. Shake off extra water or spin until very dry after final rinsing. (For open head lettuce grasp all leaves in one hand and core end in the other hand. Twist to remove core which will separate the leaves making it easier to wash away dirt trapped at the base of the plant. Remove any dry, damaged outer leaves. These leaves protect the tasty inner leaves during transportation like plastic wrap, but are not meant to be eaten.)
*Cold soak for 20 minutes can re-crisp wilted greens and then refrigerate in a sealed container to continue re-crisping, 24 hours refridgerated for best results.
If you want to make sure your greens are sanitized use the following procedure: Leafy Green Wash
1 cup distilled white vinegar
3 cups water
1-2 t. salt (optional) - enhances anti-bacterial properties
Mix the water and vinegar together in a bowl. Allow your greens to soak in the bowl for about 2 minutes, then rinse them well. Proceed with standard drying (spin or shake and roll in towel)
Storage: Follow same procedure as for all salad greens. Lay out fairly dry greens on a towel or paper towel, roll up the towel, seal in a plastic bag, and refrigerate. Or store in your salad spinner, covered. Greens will wilt instead of crisping if the greens are not sealed in an airtight container/bag. The "Forever Bags" and Tupperware FridgeSmart containers are excellent storage options as well. I never put greens on the top shelf or back of the fridge due to the increased possibility of freezing. Properly washed and stored greens should last 5 days to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Watch "Salad Daze" episode of Good Eats for a visual instruction on caring for your greens and preparing them with perfection!
Preparing: If you have loose leaf lettuce greens which you washed and stored properly, then your ingredient is already prepared. If you have head lettuce, remove outer leaves, rinse, cut out core and chop to size for your purposes. Torn leaves will last a little longer than leaves cut with a sharp chef's knife on a cutting board.
Featured Recipe: Taco Salad
Other common uses: Serve fresh. Lettuce does not stand up well under any heat or freezing forms of preparation. I primarily makes cold salads with lettuce.
Substitutes: I interchange lettuce varieties with each other, spinach, or leafy garden herbs. They all taste slightly different so there is no one to one substitute. Common flavor profiles are spicy, herb, peppery, and bright. For lettuce pairings in dishes see Blue Apron's guide.