All this rain has been great for my leafy greens! I have Romaine Lettuce, Black-Seeded Simpson Lettuce, and spinach. The lettuce can be grown fairly close together because they grow up, not out. The spinach needs a bit more room to grow out. All of these are great because you just cut off the leaves that are ready to eat and the plant keeps growing more! I use a pair of garden scissors to snip off leaves, making sure I don't damage the neighbor leaves that are still growing.
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| Romaine Lettuce, Black-Seeded Simpson Lettuce, and Spinach |
If you pick when it is hot, sometimes the leaves feel a bit wilted. To help with this, let them sit in a bowl of cold water after picking and rinsing. After 30 min to an hour, they will normally stiffen a bit.
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| Soaking in cold water to help restore wilted leaves |
If you aren't going to eat the leaves immediately, wrap them in a wet paper towel and place them in a Ziploc bag. Be sure to remove as much air as possible before storing in the refrigerator. The lettuce will keep a few days stored this way - then you can have a salad anytime!
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| Rinsed lettuce wrapped in damp paper towel for storing |
