Iceberg lettuce can be stored longer than other garden lettuce. This is especially true if you prepare it properly for storage. Here's where and how to store your iceberg lettuce.

Iceberg lettuce should never be washed before storage

How long can iceberg lettuce be stored?

Under ideal conditions, iceberg lettuce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks without the leaves wilting. However, this only applies if:

  • the iceberg lettuce has been properly prepared for storage
  • the iceberg lettuce is fresh
  • the iceberg lettuce is stored in the crisper
  • the iceberg lettuce is not cut

Iceberg lettuce from the supermarket is rarely really fresh, so you should expect a slightly shorter storage time. However, if you have harvested the lettuce fresh from the garden, it will certainly last for two weeks. However, iceberg lettuce loses more and more of its nutrients the longer it is stored and since it is not exactly a vitamin and mineral bomb anyway, it is better to avoid longer storage periods. In the last point you will learn the nutritional values of iceberg lettuce.

Prepare the iceberg lettuce for storage

It doesn't matter whether you got the iceberg lettuce from your own garden or from the supermarket: the iceberg lettuce is often dirty. So first it has to be cleaned. But be careful, never use water for this! If the iceberg lettuce comes into contact with water, it spoils much faster. Therefore, proceed as follows:

  • Clean off coarse dirt by hand or with a dry brush.
  • Remove outer leaves that are dirty or eaten by insects.
  • Read off any small animals.
  • Then wrap your iceberg lettuce in foil or newspaper.
  • Put it in the crisper.

Can you freeze iceberg lettuce?

No. Iceberg lettuce, like other lettuce, cannot be frozen because the leaves lose their consistency and collapse when thawed.

Store iceberg lettuce in the basement

Alternatively, you can store your iceberg lettuce in a dry, cool place in the basement. The salad must also be prepared accordingly for this purpose and ideally wrapped in newspaper.

The nutritional values of iceberg lettuce

Compared to many types of cabbage, iceberg lettuce contains relatively few minerals and vitamins. Savoy cabbage, for example, contains more than double the sodium, vitamin A, vitamin C and magnesium.
Iceberg lettuce contains per 100 grams:

  • Sodium: 10mg
  • Potassium: 141mg
  • Vitamin A: 502 IU
  • Calcium: 18mg
  • Vitamin C: 2.8mg
  • Iron: 0.4mg
  • Magnesium: 7mg

The garden journal freshness ABC

How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?

The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:

  • as a free PDF file to print out yourself

Category:

Vegetable garden