Cleaning And Storing Garden Fresh Lettuce

We got our first harvest! I was so excited to fill up this basket with delicious Spring Mix lettuce. You know the kind that sells for an enormous price at the store? There is nothing like harvesting your own food. It is quite empowering!

Lettuce and spinach picked from the garden comes with lots of dirt and bugs though. Usually when you buy it from a store it has already gone through a few washing processes so a simple rinse and spin at home is all that is needed. But when  you grown and pick your own, you will find that it is hard to get all that stuff out. And nothing is grosser to me than biting into dirt- ick!

The easiest way I have found to clean freshly harvested lettuce is to place in my kitchen sink (after a thorough scrubbing!) and cover with cold water.

I swish it around with my hands and look over the leaves.  Then I transfer the greens to a colander and rinse again.

Look at all that dirt!

After a second rinsing, I run them through my salad spinner in small batches. I try to get the lettuce as dry as I can. Then I lay out the lettuce on a towel on the counter.

And cover with paper towels (or napkins in this case ) I don’t cover with another towel because I want some air to circulate to help with the drying process.

I rotate the lettuces around once in a while and pat the napkins down.

Once it is dried well,  I pack into a glass dish, cover with some more napkins and seal tightly.

The lettuce keeps for 4-6 days this way, although we usually have eaten it by then! If you are a smaller family, it is best to pick only the amount you can use in a couple of days if possible.

I have found the best way to keep fresh lettuce  is to make sure that they are nice and dry when  you store them!

Happy Harvest!

This post is linked to Kitchen Tip Tuesdays