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Home garden

How to Store Your Lettuce Harvest

lettuce
Posted:6/12/13
Updated:4/10/18

So what to do when you pull your plant and can’t eat all the lettuce right away?

We know there’s a great range of recipes, but how about we just store some lettuce leaves to grab for salads, burgers and more for the next month?  Lettuce can last that long if you store it right.   I find the best way to preserve lettuce the longest is by washing it,  drying it, storing it in airtight Ziploc bags.     To wash and dry them I use a salad spinner (this is the one I have) and it’s changed my life, I’m not even kidding.  The great thing about the version I have is, is that it’s also a colander, so you can soak it the bowl to wash off your dirt.  Then drain.  Then spin to dry.  After that, I wrap the lettuce in 2 pieces of  paper towel to keep fresh and crisp, then put in a Ziploc bag.  Get all the air out of the bag and close.   Then you’re all set.  Your lettuce will stay fresh for a few weeks.  Also, reuse those plastic bags!

Here’s the steps.

So you pick your gorgeous lettuce – first, a high 5 is deserved!
WP_20130527_043

First, you want to wash it.  Take apart all your lettuce leaves on the head.  You can fill your sink up with water and push the leaves down, rinsing until clean.  Or if you have a salad spinner, you might have a built in bowl that you can just fill up with water and do the same thing.
lettuceIMG_2545

Keep rinsing with water and scrubbing the lettuce every so slightly until all the dirt is off.
lettuceIMG_2546

Now it’s salad spinner time.  For the version I have, you just put in the spinner, put the lid on top, press the pump a few times to make it spin around really fast.  Then push the stop button to make it come to a quick stop.  This will make sure the water pushes off the lettuce, drying it.  Do this as many times as you need to until your lettuce is dry.
Here’s a Vine I made demonstrating it.  (click to play if needed). 

Great, we got some gorgeous green lettuce leaves – all dried!
lettuceIMG_2548

Then I set them out on a few pieces of paper towel.  I pat them just to make sure there is no excessive moisture on the leaves.
lettuceIMG_2552

Then just wrap them, like you are rolling a blanket burrito. 
lettuceIMG_2555

Now you want to try to get all the air out of the bag so the lettuce stays crisp.  Do you know the straw trick? It’s one of the many tricks Matthew has taught me.  Zip up the straw in your plastic bag you are using but let the top part out.  Then using the straw, breathe in and suck all the air out.  Keep sucking in until you think you’ve vacuum packed it as much as possible.  Then quickly pull the straw and zip the remaining part up.
lettuceIMG_2556

Now your lettuce is stored and will remain fresh for weeks to come!  Pull out a piece whenever you need it.  lettuceIMG_2557

Similar Recipes

  • Radish and Lettuce Picking In the Garden
  • How to Store Lettuce to Last for a Month
  • Lettuce Harvesting
  • Cauliflower Harvest

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  1. Rachel A says

    August 1, 2021 at 7:27 pm

    Awesome method!! After you do these instructions, where do you store it? …fridge? Tia!

    Reply
  2. Elizabeth Levine says

    July 10, 2021 at 6:37 pm

    Can you store parsley, basil, thyme the same way as cilantro?

    Reply
  3. Nora @ Buttercream Fanatic says

    June 15, 2013 at 1:51 pm

    Thank you for this!! I *still* have a ridiculous amount of lettuce from our CSA and I am trying to avoid it all going bad. Great tips here!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      June 15, 2013 at 7:37 pm

      No problem Nora, enjoy your lettuce! 🙂

      Reply
  4. jackie @ Marin mama cooks says

    June 15, 2013 at 1:17 am

    I do this all the time for my kale and greens and it really works. I’ve had a head of kale stay fresh for 2 weeks by doing this. It’s also nice to just be able to pull out freshly washed lettuce at a moments notice and just throw a salad together. It just makes eating your greens that much easier 🙂

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      June 15, 2013 at 10:59 am

      Totally agree, it’s great to have that bag ready whenever you need it! 🙂
      Can’t wait for our kale harvest!

      Reply
  5. Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes says

    June 13, 2013 at 10:07 am

    I need to get a salad spinner ASAP!! Great tips to keep the lettuce fresh for a long time!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      June 13, 2013 at 11:34 am

      You’ll love it!

      Reply
  6. Amy Tong says

    June 13, 2013 at 2:19 am

    I love my salad spinner too. It’s so much fun to use. I wish I have lettuce from my garden to be stored. 😛 But what a great tip. I’ll stock up when I see lettuce on sale next time. hahaha…

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      June 13, 2013 at 11:34 am

      Hahaha, it is fun to use. Pump, Pump, Pump, Spin, Spin, Spin, Stop!

      Reply
  7. Kelly @ Life made Sweeter says

    June 13, 2013 at 12:53 am

    Your lettuce looks fantastic – gorgeous color and so crisp 🙂 Thank you for the wonderful lettuce saving tips! Great post Pamela!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      June 13, 2013 at 11:33 am

      Thanks Kelly, it is some yummy crisp lettuce! 🙂

      Reply
  8. gotasté says

    June 12, 2013 at 10:21 pm

    Beautiful lettuce you have there Pamela and thank you for sharing such great tip to keep them nice and crisp. My salad spinner is exactly the same color as yours! Great minds think alike 🙂 …….danny

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      June 12, 2013 at 10:40 pm

      Haha, that’s funny. Green salad spinners unite! 🙂

      Reply
  9. Anne ~ Uni Homemaker says

    June 12, 2013 at 7:23 pm

    Those are gorgeous lettuce. My husband stores stuff in a zip lock bag using the straw method too. hee hee… Have a great rest of the week Pamela.

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      June 12, 2013 at 9:49 pm

      Haha, thats awesome! 🙂

      Reply
  10. lili says

    June 12, 2013 at 6:02 pm

    Awesome! My lettuce always goes wilty in the fridge so I will definitely be trying this method!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      June 12, 2013 at 6:24 pm

      Great, enjoy your lettuce! 🙂

      Reply
  11. Koko says

    June 12, 2013 at 11:24 am

    Awesome tip! I will definitely be storing my homegrown lettuce this way 🙂

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      June 12, 2013 at 12:21 pm

      Happy harvest Koko!

      Reply
  12. Melanie Ellsworth says

    June 12, 2013 at 11:07 am

    Awesome! Great post on saving lettuce – it works too! love it! you are too funny with the lovely – but it’s true, it is lovely!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      June 12, 2013 at 12:21 pm

      Hahaha, yeah, I like show my lettuce some love. 🙂

      Reply

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Hi! I'm Pamela, an artist Mom who shares family recipes. My farm is a 1,000 sq ft apartment in NYC. Let's make dinner together.

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