How To Harvest, Wash & Store Lettuce

This is a great tip that I learned from my mother-in-law on how to store washed lettuce. She told me that she learned the best way to wash & store lettuce in her Home Ec. class in High School. For this example, I used Romain from my garden, but this works for just about any of your favorite greens.

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home grown lettuce harvest - how to wash & store

Step 1: Wash Lettuce

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As soon as you have harvested or purchased your lettuce, separate leaves and wash under cold water. There are a few proven ways to wash your lettuce. Some will soak it in a bowl of water, you can add some salt if you are afraid of any creepy crawlies that may have come in with your greens. You can also just simply rinse your lettuce under a running faucet being careful not to drop the leaves in the sink. However, my preferred method of cleaning lettuce is by using my trusty salad spinner. There are many brands and designs for this simple device.

To use a salad spinner, simply add your lettuce to the basket included with the bowl, add cold water, put the lid on, and spin using the button or lever on the top of the lid. Once you have completed a few spins, you can remove the lid and the basket and dump out the water. Replace the basket in the bowl and spin again to remove excess water from the lettuce.

I love that the spinners not only clean, but also partially dries the leaves for you. Here is a unit similar to the one I use below on Amazon:

Step 2: Layout Paper Towels

Pull out 3 sheets of paper towels and place on a flat surface. Stack two more sheets centered in the middle and place your wet lettuce on top.

Step 3: Roll Up Your Lettuce

Roll the lettuce up in the paper towels like a cinnamon roll. ( Yeah I know, lettuce=healthy, cinnamon roll=not so much)

Here is what it looks like.

How to keep lettuce longer by washing & storing

Step 4: Bag It & Store It!

Store your lettuce roll in the plastic bag that it was purchased in. You can also use a zipper bag or bread bag. This helps the lettuce from drying out. Store it in the crisper drawer of your fridge.