I planted lettuce in the fall of last year. I live in Tennessee. It never really grew. We had a cold winter, got snow,frost, etc. Now it's spring and the lettuce is now doing great. A few spots, but looks great for the most part. Is it still safe to eat?
All thing being equal, yes. If something didn't contaminate it, it will be fine.
don't know that much about lettuce's but sound ok to me peel away the outer leaves the heart should look good?
snipped
My volunteer lettuce from last year (growing outside of the beds) is doing better than the stuff I carefully planted this year!
--S.
There is nothing inherently wrong with old lettuce that has grown slowly other than it could be bitter to taste. This bitterness is not harmful just unpleasant. Lettuce and other salad vegetables get to be dangerous due to unsafe handling practices where they are contaminated with fecal coliforms. This is most often during preparation. If you observe normal food handling precautions and wash it in clean water there should be no problem. If the spots are unsightly trim them out.
David
The main thing I like about homegrown lettuce is its flavor. The fast grown, commercial lettuce tastes bland to me. Although, arugula is over the top in flavor. Too bad it's not one that I like.
As long as you didn't spray fertilizer or contaminate the ground around the lettuce, you should be fine. Like others said, just make sure to wash the lettuce and any vegetables and fruits you harvest from your garden to prevent from getting sick. You might want to taste one leaf before preparing it all to make sure it tastes good and isn't bitter.
Hire a taster like the kings of yore used to do. They had so many people who were aspiring to the throne, that they would hire people to eat some food, and in an hour or two, if they were alive, the King and Queen would eat.
Damn, cold pizza and Brussels sprouts every night. It must have been dull, but then, those cold drafty castles were so dull, it's surprising there were any princes or princesses. And Brussels sprouts farts seriously limits anyone's personal life even today, particularly under a duvet.
Steve
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