Why Lettuce Goes Limp After Harvest

Water in Lettuce

• The human body is made up of 50 to 75 percent water, while most vegetables are made up of 75 to 85 percent water. Lettuce, by comparison, is made up of 96 percent water. Humans can generally survive three days without water. Understandably, lettuce has something of a shorter lifespan if it does not receive water.

Picking Lettuce

• When lettuce is picked from a vegetable garden, it begins to wilt almost immediately. This is because the vegetable is immediately being cut off from its root system, which it depends on completely for its water supply. Since the lettuce is no longer circulating water to its cells the way that it has been accustomed to, it begins to go limp almost immediately. There is no real solution for this, though there are things that can be done to spruce the lettuce back up for a short while until you are ready to eat it.

Solutions

• Though lettuce will go limp rather quickly at harvest regardless of how it is treated, there are a few things that can be done to minimize the situation. The most important aspect of harvest is timing. Lettuce should be picked early in the morning or, if necessary, in the late evening, when the heat of the sun is minimal. Lettuce will also fare better if the air is moist or humid. Hot dry air causes the water content in the lettuce to evaporate faster, making the lettuce wilt much more rapidly.

Storage

• Once picked, lettuce can be kept crisp for about a week. Even if it does wilt upon harvesting, if the right actions are taken afterwards, lettuce perks back up. As soon as possible after harvesting, place the lettuce in a bowl of ice water and it should re-crisp. If you do not plan on eating the lettuce right away, wrap the still-moist leaves in dry paper towel and seal the paper towel in a plastic bag. Put the bag in your vegetable crisper and the lettuce should remain crisp for a week.