Those who grow leaf lettuce on their property know that sometimes its leaves become bitter. However, this happens not only with salad. A similar problem plagues one of our gardeners’ favorite vegetables – cucumber. We also once talked about why cucumbers are bitter. Now let's deal with the salad. It’s not in vain that you raised it, you need to know the reasons why it turned out to be bitter in order to prevent this from happening later.

If the salad is bitter. Main reasons

Usually, all the failures that haunt us in the garden are caused by us ourselves, that is, we will do something wrong somewhere, overlook it, or even forget to do it. And from this the plant does not receive the care it needs, and therefore the fruits and taste may be completely bad. Here the salad has no fruits, but only leaves.

One of the reasons for the bitterness of lettuce is that you watered it poorly (when it was actively growing), that is, there was not enough water for it. Often this is precisely why he is bitter.

It is possible that you didn’t make a mistake with watering and watered the salad correctly, but you didn’t remove it at the right time. If this is the case, then the lettuce leaves gradually begin to coarse and again bitterness appears. So only cut the lettuce at the right time if you don't want to eat the bitter leaves. 4-50 days will pass after it is sowed and it will all need to be cut off. Usually at this time there are already 5 or 7 leaves on the lettuce. It is precisely in this phase that it needs to be cut off. So that the moment of leaf ripening comes a little later, the bed will need to be thinned. When the shoots appear, you should not leave them all. You should have 5-6 centimeters between adjacent lettuce shoots. Everything unnecessary is simply pulled out. When lettuce grows freely like this, it ripens later and, accordingly, the appearance of bitterness can also be delayed.

In addition, bitterness usually appears in green salad, so you can experiment with varieties and plant several of them. Also, if the beds with lettuce are constantly illuminated by the sun, then the appearance of bitterness in the leaves is also quite possible. It is better to shade the beds or sometimes change the location of these beds.

What to do if lettuce leaves are still bitter?

It is possible that you have already made some mistakes, and you were not able to save the lettuce leaves from bitterness this year. What to do then? That's it, just throw away the entire harvest?

You will always have time to throw away these “inedible” greens, but there is no need to rush here. It is quite possible to get rid of this bitterness.

To remove bitterness, cut off all the roots of the lettuce leaves. Next, wash the leaves themselves thoroughly and place them in a pan. You should already have salted water in this pan. For it you only need a tablespoon of plain salt per liter of water. In addition to salt, you will need to throw several ordinary ice cubes into this water, which many people have in molds in the freezer. Wait about half an hour, and then you can remove the leaves from this water. Next, blot them gently with a paper towel, and then dry them for about five minutes. Then you can use these leaves for various dishes.

If you still have enough time before you start collecting lettuce leaves, and they are already bitter, then you can try to drive all this bitterness away from the leaves themselves, namely into the roots. To achieve this, the bunches are simply placed in a jar, into which cold water is first poured. Let them stand there for 2 or even 3 hours. After this, we take out the bunches and again cut off all the roots. It would also be better to cut out the stems themselves from the leaves, especially if these stems are thick. So you will generally only have the most delicious and tender parts of the leaves, which will no longer taste bitter.

And so that your mistakes when growing it don’t become the cause of the lettuce’s bitterness, be sure to watch this video. Here you will be told the basic details of its cultivation and care. Let's see.

Share this important information with your friends on social networks!

READ ALSO



Lettuce is an unpretentious crop to care for, but at the same time it is very useful for the human body and contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals. Thanks to this, various varieties and types of salads can be found quite often in Russian gardens.

But sometimes the grown lettuce can be very bitter, and this bitterness is not varietal. Despite the fact that, of course, there are lovers of “savory” salad, most often this fact upsets the gardener.

What to do in such situations: why do lettuce leaves become bitter and how to avoid bitterness when further planting the crop?

The reasons why bitterness usually appears may be different, but they still have one common characteristic. In all cases, the gardener himself is to blame, who either does not adhere to the rules of agricultural technology and lettuce care, or did not collect it in a timely manner.

Causes of bitterness in lettuce leaves

Below is a list of possible reasons why salad bitterness may appear.

• Irregular watering. Just like when growing cucumbers, if the watering is too stingy and inconsistent, the vegetables will eventually acquire a bitter taste. During its active growth, it is enough to water the lettuce 3 times a week early in the morning or in the evening. When watering from a watering can in the scorching sun, its leaves may wilt.

• Thickened planting. It is clear that sowing vegetables in open ground almost always implies subsequent thinning of the seedlings, because it is quite difficult to place small seeds in accordance with the planting pattern in the rows, and the germination of the material is always different. In this regard, when the shoots appear, you need to pluck out the excess ones, leaving a distance of at least 5 cm between neighboring lettuce seedlings.

• Wrong choice of landing site. The fact is that many varieties of lettuce prefer, although rather illuminated, growing areas, but with the presence of light openwork partial shade. If the lettuce is exposed to the sun all day long, bitterness may appear in its leaves.

• Late collection of leaves. Depending on the selected variety, the ripening period of lettuce may vary and is usually indicated on the back of the seed bag. When cutting it, you should focus on the number of leaves: there should be about 5...7 pieces. At this age, the leaves are juicy and tender and, as a rule, do not have bitterness.

What to do, how to remove bitterness

If, after all, the lettuce leaves are bitter, but you don’t want to throw away the harvest, then there are several ways that will help you.

• If the cause of the appearance of bitterness in the leaves was untimely and irregular watering, then try the following method of expelling it: several bunches of lettuce are placed in a jar of cold water and left for a couple of hours. After this, the roots are trimmed again, and thick veins in the leaves can also be cut out. After this, the leaves can be eaten.

• Bitter lettuce leaves are collected by cutting off all the roots and washed well. Prepare a solution of table salt in a container by adding 1 tbsp to cold water. per 1 liter of water and stir well until it dissolves. After this, it is advisable to add a few ice cubes. The leaves are placed in a container with the solution and wait 30 minutes. Then the lettuce leaves are taken out and dried for 5...7 minutes. Instead of salt, you can use a few drops of table vinegar.

• Some people put lettuce leaves in warm water for 20 minutes, but after that they become limp and do not crisp. It’s better to try to overcome the salad’s bitterness already in the dish by adding a few drops of lemon juice, which simply neutralizes the bitter taste of the leaves.

How to prevent salad bitterness

In order for lettuce leaves to be juicy and tasty without unpleasant bitterness, it is enough to simply follow the agricultural practices for growing this crop, taking into account the location and planting pattern. Although caring for lettuce is not difficult, watering must be provided in a timely manner.

By the way, the bitterness in lettuce leaves can also be varietal, so before purchasing it is important to pay attention to the description of the variety and its characteristics. It is believed that green types of lettuce are the least bitter and have a delicate taste.

Lettuce is a crop that has no limited sowing time. In this regard, it can be planted in small quantities and periodically reseeded as needed. This way, the season for cutting leaves can be extended, and at the same time the entire harvest will be eaten on time, which simply will not allow the leaves to have time to harden and acquire bitterness. Thus, by following the rules for growing lettuce and choosing the right variety, you can avoid the occurrence of bitterness in its leaves.

But even if some point was missed, and a bitter taste still arose, you should not get upset and throw away the collected leaves - you should first try to get rid of it using one of the above methods. And the next time you sow this crop, take into account all your mistakes and grow a delicious salad.

https://dachnyi-ychastok.ru

Those who grow leaf lettuce on their property know that sometimes its leaves become bitter. However, this happens not only with salad. A similar problem plagues one of our gardeners’ favorite vegetables – cucumber. We also once talked about why cucumbers are bitter. Now let's deal with the salad. It’s not in vain that you raised it, you need to know the reasons why it turned out to be bitter in order to prevent this from happening later.

Romaine lettuce, butterhead and leaf varieties can also be replanted for early harvests. During the summer heat, lettuce seedlings that started in a shady spot or protected by curtains can later be transplanted into temperate areas to have some success.

Space and depth for the sow

Strain the seedlings to 4 inches apart between plants for lettuce leaves and 6 to 8 inches for romaine lettuce or a head of butter. Shortened seedlings can be transplanted to another location or can be eaten. Because lettuce has shallow roots, it should be hoeed or thoroughly peeled. Frequent light irrigations cause the leaves to develop quickly, resulting in high-quality lettuce. Irrigation, especially in heavy soils, can cause disease, slow growth, and scalded or scorched leaf edges.

If the salad is bitter. Main reasons

Usually, all the failures that haunt us in the garden are caused by us ourselves, that is, we will do something wrong somewhere, overlook it, or even forget to do it. And from this the plant does not receive the care it needs, and therefore the fruits and taste may be completely bad. Here the salad has no fruits, but only leaves.

Organic debris can help moderate soil temperatures and microecologies to produce quality lettuce in less than ideal weather conditions. Lettuce leaves can be cut off if they are large enough to use. Cutting one plant every second at ground level gives other plants more room to grow. Leaf lettuce varieties produce small, loose heads that weigh between 4 and 8 ounces when harvested. The inner leaves, which are prone to bleaching, are very delicate.

Lettuce varieties have a habit of growing upright and forming a long, medium-dense head. To store lettuce, wash it, drain it, dry it and put it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Aphids or Aphids - Make sure there are no aphid colonies forming on the undersides of leaves.

One of the reasons for the bitterness of lettuce is that you watered it poorly (when it was actively growing), that is, there was not enough water for it. Often this is precisely why he is bitter.

It is possible that you didn’t make a mistake with watering and watered the salad correctly, but you didn’t remove it at the right time. If this is the case, then the lettuce leaves gradually begin to coarse and again bitterness appears. So only cut the lettuce at the right time if you don't want to eat the bitter leaves. 4-50 days will pass after it is sowed and it will all need to be cut off. Usually at this time there are already 5 or 7 leaves on the lettuce. It is precisely in this phase that it needs to be cut off. So that the moment of leaf ripening comes a little later, the bed will need to be thinned. When the shoots appear, you should not leave them all. You should have 5-6 centimeters between adjacent lettuce shoots. Everything unnecessary is simply pulled out. When lettuce grows freely like this, it ripens later and, accordingly, the appearance of bitterness can also be delayed.

In our publication “Handbook of Insects”. Sunburn is a physiological condition that causes death at the edges of lettuce leaves. This is due to a change in the moisture ratio between the soil and the plant. Cut off some of the brown colored leaves and use the rest of the leaf. Frequent light sprays help prevent sunburn. Some varieties are resistant to this burn.

Leaf decay can be a problem, especially during hot or humid times of year. Providing good ventilation and drainage to the ground in the lettuce panel will keep damage to a minimum in most cases. Question. Why didn't the lettuce seeds germinate? Seeds do not germinate due to lack of moisture or old seeds. Lettuce seed does not withstand long-term storage, and it is advisable to obtain new seeds every week. Store the seeds in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Some varieties of lettuce have a seed that requires light for them to germinate.

In addition, bitterness usually appears in green salad, so you can experiment with varieties and plant several of them. Also, if the beds with lettuce are constantly illuminated by the sun, then the appearance of bitterness in the leaves is also quite possible. It is better to shade the beds or sometimes change the location of these beds.

What to do if lettuce leaves are still bitter?

It is possible that you have already made some mistakes, and you were not able to save the lettuce leaves from bitterness this year. What to do then? That's it, just throw away the entire harvest?

These seeds should not be covered with soil, but should be pressed simply so that they have good contact with the finely prepared soil. Therefore, care should be taken to keep the board or seed moist but not soaked until the seedlings emerge.

Flowering stems appeared in the center of my lettuce plants. What should I do? The formation of flowering stems is driven by a combination of long days, hot temperatures and the stage of maturity of the plant. When flower stems begin to form, immediately harvest the lettuce leaves and store them in the refrigerator or in a cool place.

You will always have time to throw away these “inedible” greens, but there is no need to rush here. It is quite possible to get rid of this bitterness.

To remove bitterness, cut off all the roots of the lettuce leaves. Next, wash the leaves themselves thoroughly and place them in a pan. You should already have salted water in this pan. For it you only need a tablespoon of plain salt per liter of water. In addition to salt, you will need to throw several ordinary ice cubes into this water, which many people have in molds in the freezer. Wait about half an hour, and then you can remove the leaves from this water. Next, blot them gently with a paper towel, and then dry them for about five minutes. Then you can use these leaves for various dishes.

My salad tastes bitter. Lettuce can become bitter in hot weather and when the flower stems begin to appear. Wash and store the leaves in the refrigerator for one to two days. Most of the bitter taste will disappear. Iceberg lettuce is the most popular in the United States. It is a leafy salad that also has low nutritional value and flavor. Thanks to its excellent transport qualities, iceberg lettuce is the most affordable on the market, which makes it popular. The most abundant nutrient in iceberg lettuce is water.

If you still have enough time before you start collecting lettuce leaves, and they are already bitter, then you can try to drive all this bitterness away from the leaves themselves, namely into the roots. To achieve this, the bunches are simply placed in a jar, into which cold water is first poured. Let them stand there for 2 or even 3 hours. After this, we take out the bunches and again cut off all the roots. It would also be better to cut out the stems themselves from the leaves, especially if these stems are thick. So you will generally only have the most delicious and tender parts of the leaves, which will no longer taste bitter.

Dark green lettuce leaves always indicate high fiber content, flavor and nutritional value. Lettuce is a fresh climate. It can be divided into two categories; lettuce and lettuce leaves. Lettuce produced in your garden will give you the opportunity to experience first-hand the delicious leaf freshness that doesn't require dressing. Leaf and romaine lettuce provide crunchy flavor and are great for salads and sandwiches.

Harvest of fresh green leaves. Place fresh, unwashed leaves in a plastic bag and refrigerate them for a few days if necessary. Fresh temperatures will keep your salads fresh longer. The refrigerator drawer on most refrigerators is usually the first drawer on the bottom of the refrigerator.

And so that your mistakes when growing it don’t become the cause of the lettuce’s bitterness, be sure to watch this video. Here you will be told the basic details of its cultivation and care. Let's see.

Share this important information with your friends on social networks!

Avoid storing lettuce with apples, pears or bananas. These fruits extract ethylene gas, a natural ripening agent that will cause brown spots and decay on the lettuce to develop quickly. Shake up salads that look lame or have blackheads. The leagues are the remains of bacterial decomposition, and the black spots are usually mold.

Nutrition and health benefits

The nutritional value of lettuce varies depending on its variety. Lettuce typically contains a small amount of fiber, some carbohydrates, some protein, and minimal fat. Its most important are: vitamin A and potassium. Vitamin A comes from beta-carotene, which does not see its yellow-orange color, which is hidden by the green pigments of chlorophyll. Beta-carotene, of course, becomes vitamin A in the human body. The dark green color is the one that contains more beta carotene.

READ ALSO

Garden lettuce is a leader among other leafy vegetables. The salad is especially tasty and pleasantly aromatic in spring. But what is a summer barbecue without lettuce or sandwiches? You can wrap meat, vegetables in salad and, of course, make all kinds of salad dishes even in summer.
The benefits of salads are a separate topic. The leaves contain a large amount of vitamins: C, K, carotene, B vitamins, as well as a number of minerals: calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, copper, iodine and others.
Leaf lettuce has a beneficial effect on the liver, pancreas, kidneys and cardiovascular system. It will help maintain good vision and can even protect against Alzheimer's disease
Lettuce leaves have a lot of fiber and in general salad is a low-calorie product. Therefore, salad improves metabolism in the body and helps to lose excess weight.
In addition, salad is included in the diet for diabetes, atherosclerosis, stomach ulcers and high blood pressure.
However, overripe leaves acquire a bitter taste and lose their pleasant smell. There are also some varieties of lettuce that are bitter in themselves. It is better to grow varieties that have green juice, those with milky juice usually taste bitter. Varieties without bitterness include: Frillac, Bacardi, Critz, Embrace, Remus, Iceberg, Lollo Rossa.
To prevent the salad from becoming bitter, it is necessary to water it regularly and generously. Fertilizing with fertilizer high in magnesium also helps produce sweet, non-bitter lettuce.
And one more secret: you need to cut the lettuce not in the heat of the day, but in the early morning or late evening.
If you still feel bitterness, such a salad must be bleached.
To do this, place it under non-transparent dishes - a saucepan, a bucket and leave it like that for 3-5-7 days before cooking. During this time, the bitterness completely disappears, and the bleached crispy rosette of lettuce becomes tastier and healthier. You can also remove bitterness from overripe lettuce. Before you remove the bitterness of the lettuce, you need to wash it and trim the roots. After this, the leaves are placed in a deep plate or bowl and filled with cold water.
For the best effect, you can add additional ice to the bowl and leave everything to stand until the ice melts. After this, the lettuce leaves must be removed and placed on a towel to dry thoroughly. This helps get rid of half of the bitterness and gives the leaves a fresh taste. In addition, after this treatment, the lettuce leaves begin to crisp well.
Another method allows you to distill the bitterness from the leaves themselves into the roots. For this you need a glass of water. Lettuce leaves are placed in it, roots down. So they should stand for at least two hours. After this, the leaves must be removed and everything except the leaves themselves must be cut off. The roots and stems will be bitter, but the leaves will not.
And also, we cut the leaves into salad in advance, and let them stand separately for 15 minutes, and then mix them with other ingredients.

According to the American Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society, foods rich in vitamins A and C provide protection against some forms of cancer. Like other phytochemicals and antioxidants, it reduces the risk of cancer in the respiratory system and intestinal tract.

Preparation and maintenance methods

Apart from iceberg lettuce, lettuce is also a moderately good source of vitamin C, calcium, iron and copper. The stems provide dietary fiber, and vitamins and minerals are concentrated in the thinnest part of their leaves. Nutritional value. Wash the salad with cold water before serving. Dry it with a kitchen towel or clean towel. Cut the lettuce leaves into pieces. If practical, do not cut or cut the lettuce in advance. Trim away discolored edges quickly. Dry the lettuce leaves before serving.

In contact with

Garden lettuce is a leader among other leafy vegetables. The salad is especially tasty and pleasantly aromatic in spring. But what is a summer barbecue without lettuce or sandwiches? You can wrap meat, vegetables in salad and, of course, make all kinds of salad dishes even in summer.
The benefits of salads are a separate topic. The leaves contain a large amount of vitamins: C, K, carotene, B vitamins, as well as a number of minerals: calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, copper, iodine and others.
Leaf lettuce has a beneficial effect on the liver, pancreas, kidneys and cardiovascular system. It will help maintain good vision and can even protect against Alzheimer's disease
Lettuce leaves have a lot of fiber and in general salad is a low-calorie product. Therefore, salad improves metabolism in the body and helps to lose excess weight.
In addition, salad is included in the diet for diabetes, atherosclerosis, stomach ulcers and high blood pressure.
However, overripe leaves acquire a bitter taste and lose their pleasant smell. There are also some varieties of lettuce that are bitter in themselves. It is better to grow varieties that have green juice, those with milky juice usually taste bitter. Varieties without bitterness include: Frillac, Bacardi, Critz, Embrace, Remus, Iceberg, Lollo Rossa.
To prevent the salad from becoming bitter, it is necessary to water it regularly and generously. Fertilizing with fertilizer high in magnesium also helps produce sweet, non-bitter lettuce.
And one more secret: you need to cut the lettuce not in the heat of the day, but in the early morning or late evening.
If you still feel bitterness, such a salad must be bleached.
To do this, place it under non-transparent dishes - a saucepan, a bucket and leave it like that for 3-5-7 days before cooking. During this time, the bitterness completely disappears, and the bleached crispy rosette of lettuce becomes tastier and healthier. You can also remove bitterness from overripe lettuce. Before you remove the bitterness of the lettuce, you need to wash it and trim the roots. After this, the leaves are placed in a deep plate or bowl and filled with cold water.
For the best effect, you can add additional ice to the bowl and leave everything to stand until the ice melts. After this, the lettuce leaves must be removed and placed on a towel to dry thoroughly. This helps get rid of half of the bitterness and gives the leaves a fresh taste. In addition, after this treatment, the lettuce leaves begin to crisp well.
Another method allows you to distill the bitterness from the leaves themselves into the roots. For this you need a glass of water. Lettuce leaves are placed in it, roots down. So they should stand for at least two hours. After this, the leaves must be removed and everything except the leaves themselves must be cut off. The roots and stems will be bitter, but the leaves will not.
And also, we cut the leaves into salad in advance, and let them stand separately for 15 minutes, and then mix them with other ingredients.

Usually, all the failures that haunt us in the garden are caused by us ourselves, that is, we do something wrong somewhere, overlook it, or even forget to do it. And from this the plant does not receive the care it needs, and therefore the fruits and taste may be completely bad. Here the salad has no fruits, but only leaves.

• One of the reasons for the bitterness of lettuce is that you watered it poorly (when it was actively growing), that is, there was not enough water for it. Often this is precisely why he is bitter.

• It is possible that you didn’t make a mistake with watering and watered the salad correctly, but you didn’t remove it at the right time. If this is the case, then the lettuce leaves gradually begin to coarse and again bitterness appears. So only cut the lettuce at the right time if you don't want to eat the bitter leaves. 4-50 days will pass after it is sowed and it will all need to be cut off. Usually at this time there are already 5 or 7 leaves on the lettuce. It is precisely in this phase that it needs to be cut off. So that the moment of leaf ripening comes a little later, the bed will need to be thinned. When the shoots appear, you should not leave them all. You should have 5-6 centimeters between adjacent lettuce shoots. Everything unnecessary is simply pulled out. When lettuce grows freely like this, it ripens later and, accordingly, the appearance of bitterness can also be delayed.

• In addition, bitterness usually appears in green salad, so you can experiment with varieties and plant several of them. Also, if the beds with lettuce are constantly illuminated by the sun, then the appearance of bitterness in the leaves is also quite possible. It is better to shade the beds or sometimes change the location of these beds.

What to do if lettuce leaves are still bitter?

It is possible that you have already made some mistakes, and you were not able to save the lettuce leaves from bitterness this year. What to do then? That's it, just throw away the entire harvest?

• You will always have time to throw away these “inedible” greens, but there is no need to rush here. It is quite possible to get rid of this bitterness.

• To remove bitterness, cut off all the roots of the lettuce leaves. Next, wash the leaves themselves thoroughly and place them in a pan. You should already have salted water in this pan. For it you only need a tablespoon of plain salt per liter of water. In addition to salt, you will need to throw several ordinary ice cubes into this water, which many people have in molds in the freezer. Wait about half an hour, and then you can remove the leaves from this water. Next, blot them gently with a paper towel, and then dry them for about five minutes. Then you can use these leaves for various dishes.

• If you still have enough time before you start collecting lettuce leaves, and they are already bitter, then you can try to drive all this bitterness away from the leaves themselves, namely into the roots. To achieve this, the bundles are simply placed in a jar where cold water is first poured. Let them stand there for 2 or even 3 hours. After this, we take out the bunches and again cut off all the roots. It would also be better to cut out the stems themselves from the leaves, especially if these stems are thick. So you will generally only have the most delicious and tender parts of the leaves, which will no longer taste bitter.