A no-frills guide to lettuce
Post categories: lettuce
| 10:00 UK time, Wednesday, 15 July 2009
Don't know about you, but I've got lettuce coming out of my ears right now. It was only a few weeks ago that I decided my perfectly formed Lollo Rosso were big enough to pick for a nice side salad with me tea. Now, suddenly they're so big that a really quite large snail managed to hide inside the last one I harvested, and was found just in time to stop it having a little explore of the fridge.
I'm pretty proud of the deep red colour they've gone - there's been a few comments from people whose lettuces have stayed light green, which seems to happen if they aren't in full sun. Crispy and quite strong, they go well in a salad alongside my other lettuce variety, a tall green "romaine" type called Pinnokio. Who comes up with these names? And why have so many potato varieties got women's names? Anya, Cara, Charlotte, Nicola (a nice one that, very tasty), Juliette, Francine, Vanessa... .  Answers in a comment please!
Every year it's the same - I can't resist sowing and planting too many of them, and end up with an insane lettuce glut. I worry I won't get enough seedlings and then, when I do, I can't bear to kill them - hence I've got a dozen Lollo Rosso about to bolt. It's slightly better than last year's lettuce hedge, but not by a lot.
So, what to do with them? Well, I've already brought a sackful into work to hand out, like some vegan Santa Claus, but this year I'm going to deliberately let a few do their thing and go to seed (which is what happens when they bolt). First, they start growing taller and taller, then start stretching out stems ending in small flowers - often yellow, but they can be other colours. They look like some sort of Doctor Who alien this point, and are pretty bitter.
Eventually the flowers will become seed pods, which . This is how far mine have got, and now I'm waiting for the pods to to darken and dry out. Once they have, I'll bung 'em in a paper bag, then give them a good thrashing - that'll teach them to bolt! It , which I'll save and sow (too many of) again next year. Not a huge money saver, but worth it for the sense of satisfaction!
Then, if you can't be bothered with the hassle of saving lettuce seed, apparently you can ! Not tried it myself as it seems barking, but if anyone knows better, post a comment!
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