Like you many people have the same question, how long does lettuce last? Everyone loves to eat a sandwich or any other foods that contain lettuce. But when you are making a dish at home, you need to know how to keep the lettuce fresh or how long the lettuce will last.
No one would love to see lettuce losing the natural green color and the taste. So here are some of the useful tips and tricks that will help you to keep the lettuce last longer.
History of The Lettuce Plant
Before you know how to store the lettuce for longer, you need to know the history of the lettuce and many other things about this tasty green veggie.
Lettuce is mainly used to serve on the salad and as a garnishing ingredient in many dishes. It is one of the oldest food plants and it is mostly found in India and many other places in Central Asia.
Lettuce has earned its popularity in many countries including India, Greece, Rome, etc. lettuce is the most favorite place of Rome, and the lettuce word also comes from the Latin language. Lettuce seeds are very much available in the market and you can find it in any vegetable shop.
Lettuce Plants or Seeds?
One of the most common questions about lettuce is what to plant? The lettuce seeds or the plants? Well, lettuce is very easy to grow and you can grow it a corner of the garden or indoor of the house, it also requires very low maintenance.
Among both of them, you can choose any because both produce a large amount of lettuce.
But the seeds require a lot of sunlight compared to the plant and you need to take care and monitor the seed more.
If you plant the seeds indoor then you need to be ready to move them under sunlight or any artificial light. You can plant the seeds to move them anywhere you want and also the drainage system will be controlled along with the soil.
How Long Does Lettuce Last?
While you are buying lettuce or producing lettuce back in the garden of your house. You need to be sure that the lettuce leaves are not soggy. You can lose the crunchiness and crisp feeling if the lettuce is soggy.
If you see any sign of soggy or wilt in the lettuce do not keep them in the fridge, because in some days they will rot and you will have to get rid of them without eating a piece of it.
Better to get rid of the soggy part quickly and eat the healthy part of the lettuce.
Here are some tips that can help you to keep the lettuce crisp and crunchy for longer, and also these tips will help you to keep the green color of the lettuce.
Pick Healthy Lettuce Only
One of the essentials that work from any and every fruit or vegetable. When you are buying the lettuce from any shop or picking them up, be very careful and look carefully to get the best of them. If you see any spot and any damage on the lettuce do not keep it.
If you keep the damaged one it can rot the other lettuce also, and if you see any spot do not keep them thinking it will be gone after wash.
Mostly these spots indicate that the lettuce leaves will rot soon. Removing the damaged and rotten parts will greatly affect to last them longer.
Do Not Cut the Heads
After you get rid of the damaged part, do not cut or wash the lettuce. You can cut the end part of the lettuce but do not cut it from the head. Because loose leaves tend to last for only 10 to 12 days.
If you keep the plants attached with the head and keep it in the freezer properly, then it can last up to 3 weeks.
Ony cut the lettuce when you are ready to use them till then keep it in the freezer. You can use paper towels or bags to last it longer and keep the green intact.
Handle with Care
Be very careful while storing the lettuce because lettuce is very sensitive and it can rot very easily with little bruises. Also, these bruises can cause a bacteria invasion in the green. If any bacteria attacks, you will see a pattern or texture in the green leaves.
You can prevent the bruises on the leaves by just handling the leaves with care. Be very careful to keep the lettuce in the freezer or in the shopping cart, do not keep anything on the top of these leaves or the bruises can happen.
Also, be very careful to not spin the lettuce and do not keep them in any hard places that can cause any type of bruises including a hard shopping cart or any hard container.
Keep the Fruits Away
One of the most common things that you might know that you need to keep the lettuce away from the fruits. Many people keep the lettuce with the fruits, and it causes the lettuce to rot fast.
Some of the common fruits that go to the top of this list include tomatoes, kiwis, apples, pears, and avocados.
These fruits release gases that cause other fruits and vegetables to rot faster, so keep them away from the lettuce. Best way to keep you lettuce safe is to keep the fruits and vegetables separate and keep the lettuce on top of vegetables.
Keep the Airflow and Dryness Well-Balanced
This is one of the things that gets easier to understand with time. You need to keep the lettuce dry but not too much, also you need to keep some air flowing to keep them healthy but not too much.
If the lettuce is too much dry then it will lose the moisture and the green will disappear.
Also, if you keep the airflow too low then the crisp and crunchy will disappear. So you need to keep them both balanced, or the leaves will start to wilt and strained.
Best to use a container with little holes or a bag with a little hole in the corner. This will allow the airflow but not it will be limited to keep the leaves healthy.
You can also use paper towels in the container or plastic bag but be very careful not to block the air passage.
If you use paper towels to keep the moisture better then you will need to keep changing the paper towel after a few days, because the paper towel will get damp after staying there for 2-3 days.
Temperature
Do not store them any place that is too cold, it can make the leaves dry and yellow very fast. The top layer of the fridge also known as the deep fridge is better to avoid because not only it can make them last low, also they can freeze the leaves as a pile of ice.
Conclusion
These are some of the methods that can help you to keep the lettuce last longer up to weeks, even months. If you have any questions or queries, please comment below to let us know.