Wet lettuce

JIL

To save some money I have grown some lettuce in a tub in the garden.

I pick some and give it a quick rinse but then it's wet and no matter how I try I cannot get it to dry, I have patted it with kitchen roll, used a tea towel and shaken it. It almost seems too much bother to grow, I confess to not washing the lettuce I buy from the supermarket. Just a quick wipe.

I would do the same with my home grown stuff, but as I sat down to eat a salad last year lovingly prepared for me by my husband, but not wearing his glasses and completely missing two slugs. I am not taking any risks.

Are salad spinners worth buying? Any other tips on preparing the lettuce without soaking the rest of the dinner?

bouicca21

Tea towel method for me. But you have to put some welly into the shake - nothing namby pamby about it. I actually do it outside otherwise I'd be knocking stuff off the work tops.

suki1964

Don't wash
Just wipe each leaf with damp kitchen towel

happy35

I bought a salad spinner for £5 from asda and think they are brilliant, I also couldn't get dry lettuce without one

PasturesNew

Some lettuces are like that - perhaps you can investigate other shapes/sizes and ponder the idea of growing a different type, with flatter leaves. Depends if you want "lettuce" or "THAT type of lettuce"

Linda32

Grow it on your windowsill. Sow smaller batches more often in punnets. That way you don't have to wash it.

Outside this year we grew rocket in a pot and put it high up on a table. Just snip a few leaves and eat.

Shropshirelass

I grew rocket this year on a windowsill too, it looked lovely but tasted really bitter. I guess I will try another type next year, as I really like rocket.
I grew Webb's wonder lettuce, and cut it leaf by leaf. Rinse and dry with clean tea towel - I have a few old tea towels kept clean and rolled up for jobs like this.