Lamb lettuce is very popular because of its pleasant, nutty aroma. You can recognize it by its small, round or slightly pointed leaves, which form a rosette. Rapunzel salad tastes most aromatic from October to December, so it is a typical winter salad.
How do you wash lamb's lettuce correctly?
To properly wash lamb's lettuce, place it in ice-cold water in the sink, swirl it several times, place it in a colander to drain, and repeat until it is clean.
Step 1: Wash lamb's lettuce
Field lettuce is harvested by hand in bunches. Particularly when grown outdoors, soil residues often still cling to the leaf rosettes, which should be washed off carefully. This always happens before cleaning, because this salad quickly loses its taste when left in water.
- Put ice-cold water in the sink.
- Put the lamb's lettuce in and toss it several times.
- Place in a colander and allow to drain.
- Repeat the process until the salad is completely clean.
Step 2: Clean lamb's lettuce
Dry the field lettuce in a salad spinner. The less water adheres to the small leaves, the easier it is to clean afterwards.
Since root residues often still cling to the leaf rosettes, you will need a sharp kitchen knife for this work:
- Cut off the roots.
- The leaf rosette should be retained if possible.
- Pluck off any yellow or wilted leaves.
Rapunzel salad tastes particularly delicious if you dress it with a vinaigrette made from nut oils, as these oils emphasize the intensely spicy taste.
After purchase
Lamb lettuce wilts quickly, so you should use it quickly after purchasing it. Until ready to eat, wrap the lettuce loosely in a slightly damp tea towel and place it in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator.
It will keep for two to three days this way. However, remember that when storing field lettuce, the valuable ingredients and aroma are quickly lost.
Tip
Lamb lettuce can tolerate temperatures down to minus ten degrees Celsius. During the frost phase it falls into a kind of sleeping beauty sleep and continues to grow on warmer days. If you grow winter lettuce in your own garden, you can enjoy home-grown lettuce again and again during the winter months, in frost-free periods.
