What kind of romaine lettuce has purple leaves?
The speckled butterhead lettuce variety 'Speckled' has splashes of purple on green leaves. Two striking red-purple romaine cultivars to try for a daring variation on the classic Cezar salad are 'Cimmaron' and the dark purple 'Red Leprechaun.'
How can you tell if romaine lettuce is bad?
Nevertheless, if you see a reddish tint to the lettuce, it’s most likely older lettuce. Pinkish or reddish lettuce indicates that the lettuce isn’t in it’s best condition, as the natural color of the romaine lettuce is fresh green.
How to plant romaine lettuce?
If you’d rather stick to the traditional method, here’s how to plant Romaine lettuce for better yields: Plant in early spring and late summer. Start springtime crops from lettuce seeds indoors to prevent bolting. You can transplant the seedlings as soon as the soil is workable. They’ll make it if the temperature dips below zero.
How long does romaine lettuce last?
Romaine lettuce stays good for up to about a week when stored properly. Keep it in the crisper; in a plastic bag is best. If already cut and washed, make sure it’s dry before storing. Salads made with romaine should stay good for 1-2 days when stored in the refrigerator.
Why does some romaine lettuce turn purple?
The color change will happen due to ethylene gas. These are given off by various fruits and vegetables, and romaine lettuce is particularly prone to deteriorating faster when exposed to it. If the leaves are damaged, they may also take on a reddish tone where the damage occurred.
Why are my lettuce purple?
When you notice a plant with purple leaves rather than the normal green color, it is most likely due to a phosphorus deficiency. All plants need phosphorus (P) in order to create energy, sugars, and nucleic acids. Young plants are more likely to display signs of phosphorus deficiency than older plants.
What lettuce has purple?
Known for its distinctive purple color and pleasantly bitter flavor, radicchio is a member of the chicory family (technically a cousin of lettuce) and originally hails from Italy. While at its best in winter, radicchio is widely available all year long.
Is purple lettuce okay eating?
Thrive Cuisine confirms that reddened lettuce, however, is still safe to eat. The enzymes present during this stage present no harm whatsoever to your digestive system, but the lettuce will have lost a good amount of its flavor and nutritional value. Plus, it's not exactly visually appetizing.
Is romaine lettuce bad if it's red?
Is Rusty Lettuce Safe to Eat? Yes, the lettuce is still good, so there's no need to waste it. It may look unappetizing, but the situation is easily salvageable. All you need to do is slice off the rusty red spots with a chef's knife.
What are purple salad leaves?
Radicchio is not your average green lettuce. It's got a purple hue that makes your salad look pretty. It's got a slightly bitter flavor that works really well with a ton of vegetables. You can cook radicchio too for a sweeter flavor.
What lettuce is purple and green?
Looseleaf lettuce, available in green or purple shades, has a mild taste compared to the sweet crunch of romaine or the buttery taste of butterhead lettuce.
Why is some salad purple?
As earlier stated, there are many lettuce varieties on the planet. Cornell University identifies five lettuce categories consisting of loose-leaf, butterhead, Romaine, French and crisphead lettuce. Each of these has numerous varieties within it. Purple lettuce varieties are mostly associated with loose-leaf cultivars.
Is purple lettuce bitter?
Radicchio. Radicchio grows as tight heads of red or deep purple leaves streaked with prominent white ribs. It's quite bitter in flavor.
How do you know if Romaine is bad?
How to tell if romaine lettuce is bad or spoiled? Romaine lettuce that is spoiling will typically become slimy and mushy and its color will deteriorate; discard romaine lettuce if it has an off smell or appearance.
Why is my romaine lettuce pink?
Pink lettuce is linked to pink rib — a stress response that causes the ribs of the lettuce to turn from white to pink. This occurs when lettuce is overmature and stored at high temperatures. Pink lettuce can also be the result of oxidation — a chemical process caused by exposure to oxygen (via Eat or Toss).
How do you tell if lettuce is bad?
How to Tell If Lettuce Is Bad?Slimy or soft leaves. If the whole thing is soft and wet, and the leaves are darker than usual, discard it. That's the reason you will throw out your lettuce 99 out of 100 times.An off smell. If it smells bad, it's done for.
Growing Conditions For Romaine Lettuce
Romaine requires 65-70 days to mature from seed. Although heat tolerant, Romaine grows best in cooler climes and prefers moisture rich, well-draine...
How to Plant Romaine Lettuce
Romaine grows well in nearly all types of gardens if given enough sunlight and good soil. Romaine can be grown in pots, started indoors from seeds,...
Romaine Lettuce Pests and Diseases
The primary pest for Romaine is the rabbit and other plant eating rodents. Slugs and some insects are also prone to target lettuce over other foods...
Harvesting Romaine Lettuce
Romaine can be picked whenever it’s big enough to use. Many gardeners peel off the outer leaves and allow the rest of the plant to continue growing...
Want to Learn More About Growing Romaine Lettuce?
Check out these helpful resources:Romaine Lettuce, a PDF from University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension ServiceHome Garden Lettuce, from NC Coop...
Harvest as You Go
When your romaine lettuce is about 5 or 6 inches high, it's in the baby-leaf or mini-head stage. At this time, you can start enjoying some of the plant's crisp green leaves while <ahref="https: www.hunker.com="" 12508325="" how-to-cut-lettuce-so-it-keeps-growing"=""> </ahref="https:>letting the plant continue to grow.
Harvest at Full Maturity
Your plants have reached full maturity when the leaves are elongated and overlapping slightly, forming a head that's about 6 to 8 inches high. Usually that will be 70 to 75 days after germination, but different varieties may need a bit more or less time.
Get a Second Harvest
Because romaine prefers cooler temperatures, around 60°F., you may be able to get a second harvest from the heads you've already harvested. If you cut your whole-head romaine about 1 inch from the soil line, it will start growing more leaves.
Potential Problems
There are several problems that can make it difficult to get a decent lettuce harvest. One such problem is tip burn. If the tips of the leaves turn brown, simply trim off those edges with your clean scissors and then harvest the rest of the leaves—or leave them to continue growing.
Growing Condition for Romaine Lettuce
In comparison to other types of lettuce, Romaine is considered more heat-tolerant. Some of the most heat-resistant Romaine varieties are ‘Sparx’, ‘Jericho’, and ‘Coastal Star’.
How to Plant Romaine Lettuce
Romaine grows well in nearly all types of gardens if given enough sunlight and good soil. However, it’s recommended that the seeds are started indoors as they transplant easily and will likely be healthier.
Care Of Romaine Lettuce
Once established, Romaine plants prefer cool weather and a lot of moisture. Well-fertilized soil will mean faster-growing (and thus crisper) plants. Water regularly and often, adjusting to your climate and conditions.
Romaine Lettuce Pests and Diseases
First, you want to protect your Romaine from pests. There are many stray guests in your garden that may prey on your crispy, sweet Romaine. The typical candidates are slugs, rabbits, and other rodents. Seeing aphids munching on the lettuce leaves is also not an unusual sight.
Harvesting Romaine Lettuce
Romaine can be picked whenever it’s big enough to use. Many gardeners peel off the outer leaves and allow the rest of the plant to continue growing in order to extend the harvest time.
Want To Learn More About Growing Romaine Lettuce?
Check out this page to learn more about other leafy greens. Or use our search bar to navigate the website for more valuable information on gardening.
When to harvest romaine lettuce?
Head, romaine and batavia lettuces are all ready to be harvested at the same time, about two months after sowing for the spring and summer varieties, and seven months for the slower growing winter varieties.
How to harvest romaine lettuce?
Harvest your lettuce or romaine lettuce when the core has reached a good size.
Some tips for harvesting romaine lettuce
During the summer, romaine lettuce is harvested in the morning, as early as possible. It will be all the better for having rehydrated with the coolness of the night. On the other hand, in the heat of the day, it can look very wilted.
Romaine Lettuce Benefits
Did you know that the darker leaves, the more nutrients? Though all parts of romaine are green and good for you, those parts concentrate most of the minerals!
Romaine vs. Iceberg
It’s a classic argument. Which is better, romaine or iceberg? Though they’re main competitors in the lettuce world, they can usually be substituted for each other. They’re both used in a wide range of recipes, both being super crunchy, and they both supply a lot of water.
What it Tastes Like
Romaine lettuce has a very refreshing and juicy taste. It’s very crisp, and the taste is a bit bitter, though not too much. It’s not as sweet as iceberg, but it’s not as “grassy” as spinach. It’s just… good! And its crunchy texture makes it great for using in so many different recipes.
How to use Romaine
Romaine is kind of like iceberg in that the uses are nearly endless. Unlike kale or chard which you wouldn’t want to use on just any type of dish, romaine can be used frequently! The obvious use is salad, and I actually do love a good, crispy romaine-based salad from time to time. You can go savory or sweet with your toppings.
How to choose your romaine
Choosing the perfect package of romaine is pretty easy — just look for the darkest bunch! The darker the romaine hearts, the better it is to eat. If it’s lighter, you may find it to be extra bitter. Similarly, make sure it’s firm, but not too firm. It needs to feel “crunchy” in your hand.
Best Way to Cut Romaine Lettuce
Cutting romaine is simple. If using on a sandwich or as a taco shell, simply rip off a leaf and either fold it in half (sandwich), or keep it intact to add with taco fillings. If slicing, here’s the best method!
Storing romaine
Romaine lettuce stays good for up to about a week when stored properly. Keep it in the crisper; in a plastic bag is best. If already cut and washed, make sure it’s dry before storing.
Tips
Be sure to sanitize any cutting tools you use both before and after you harvest your lettuce.
About This Article
This article was co-authored by Maggie Moran. Maggie Moran is a Professional Gardener in Pennsylvania. This article has been viewed 156,569 times.
