Throwing Out the Baby (Lettuce) with the Bath

Well in walks my co-gardener (my husband) with news that the lettuce is rotting in the garden.  Since I am in charge of harvesting I sensed a bit of agitation in his voice.   My first thought was Lesson 2: If you plant more in your garden than you can eat, make sure it is something that you can store, pickle, freeze, etc. or plan ahead and stagger your planting so things will ripen over a period of time. 

I had planned on eating salads for the next couple of weeks with this lettuce ripening at different times; he planted it in staggered intervals just for this reason.  I walked out to look at the rotting lettuce thinking I had totally let my husband down and all I see is pretty green young lettuce leaves with a few of what I call sacrificial leaves nearest the ground that were browning a little.

Thinking my bifocals were failing me I asked him where the rotting lettuce was and he replied, “Look at those leaves. They aren’t green.”

Well here is where I come up with my Lesson 3:  Remember fresh vegetables’ appearance is not always perfect - you will have brown leaves occasionally.  You have to pluck out the brown lettuce leaves once in a while, or a cucumber with a worm whole, or a collard leaf with a caterpillar bite, and sometimes you have to accept that your green pepper might not be the size of the ones in the grocery store because you chose not to add the Miracle Grow to your vegetables.  But, just because your veggies aren’t shiny (waxed) and huge like those in the grocery store, don’t automatically reject them.  We have successfully had a wonderful salad for the past two days from the lettuce that my husband thought I had let rot in the garden.

This backyard garden is a work in progress and we are learning a lot in the process, but I highly recommend everyone doing something.  Whether it’s planting a few herbs in a herb box , buying an Earthbox, creating a container garden, or buying a Topsy Turvy; doing anything is better than doing nothing and then complaining about it.

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Eat for Energy