Lamb's lettuce is a robust plant that can remain on the bed even when the temperature is below zero. However, once harvested, it should be consumed soon. With the following tips, the lamb's lettuce will stay fresh and crisp for three to four days.

Well cleaned lamb's lettuce can be kept for several days

Worth knowing about lamb's lettuce

Valerianella is the official name of the lamb's lettuce we use here. He is also known to many under the fairytale name Rapunzel. Its nutty taste has earned it the name Nüsslisalat in Switzerland; in other regions it bears names such as mouse ear or lamb's lettuce. This variety of names testifies to the wide distribution and popularity of lamb's lettuce.
Lamb's lettuce is the ideal winter lettuce: it only thrives at temperatures below 20 °C, tolerates frost down to -15 °C and is therefore in season throughout the winter. Between October and March you can find local lamb's lettuce in the supermarkets. The lamb's lettuce from your own garden, which you sow for the winter harvest in September, is of course even fresher. The bed must be watered abundantly and kept free of weeds, but otherwise the lamb's lettuce is extremely undemanding.

Store lamb's lettuce in the fridge

Ideally, you should eat your lamb's lettuce immediately after purchasing or harvesting it. This is how its fresh and nutty taste comes into its own. However, if this is not possible, you can store it in the fridge for a few days as follows:

  1. Remove limp and rotten leaves from the lettuce plants. Leave the roots untouched, however, as they help the lettuce retain its freshness.
  2. Dampen a kitchen towel or kitchen paper and thoroughly squeeze out excess water. The cloth should be damp but not wet.
  3. Place the lamb's lettuce on the prepared kitchen towel and wrap it in it. The lettuce should be completely wrapped in the cloth.
  4. Put the resulting package in the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator. There should be ample room so the lettuce doesn't get crushed by other vegetables.
  5. Eat the lamb's lettuce after four days at the latest. The sooner you eat it, the crispier and more aromatic the salad will taste.

Lamb's lettuce should not remain in plastic sales packaging and should generally not be stored airtight as it tends to rot.

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