This evening, I went into the garden to harvest some late Spring veggies. I pulled all of my mini Napa cabbages as they were beginning to show signs of bolting. All of the outer leaves (about half of the head) ended up in the compost bin, too damaged by slugs to be edible. Still, I ended up with about 2.42 lbs of cabbage.
Next I putted all of my remaining of my radishes (1.01 lbs). As expected, they are now too bitter and spicy for my taste. I'll have to either pickle them in order to take the edge off or give them to my mother-in-law who doesn't mind fresh radishes this way.
I also harvested 2 heads of Red Sails lettuce (0.54 lbs). I was really excited to have homegrown lettuce for the first time this year...that is, until I actually tasted it. I was surprised to find that it had a bitter edge to it. This threw me for a loop as the lettuce showed no signs of bolting. In fact, the leaves were still pretty young. Could it be the soil or the fact that it's been warm lately or that I harvested at the end of the day or that it just wasn't ready? I am at a lost.
Finally, this is how the Piracicaba broccoli looked when I got home today. The mini-crown was about 2 inches in diameter (like Michelle said it would be). I thought it was as good a time as any to pick it.
Despite the fact that I only had enough for a few bites, I was eager to steam it up with some butter and salt. I've never grown broccoli successfully before so this was indeed a treat. The first bite was shall we say tender and....slightly bitter again. It wasn't bad per se. In fact it tasted just like broccoli raab. It just wasn't what I was expecting. For those of you who've grown this variety before, is this how it's supposed to taste? I thought it was supposed to be milder and sweeter than conventional broccoli. I am at a loss again.
If anyone out there has any theories as to why I find myself in such bitter predicament, please do share!
This week's harvest total: 4.02 lbs
Certain crops get bitter when they are in conditions that are either generally too warm for them or when not getting enough water. Lettuce is one, and broccoli / brussel sprouts etc are another.
ReplyDeleteNever grown a sprouting type broccoli before but I think they are all more bitter then the normal broccoli. You still have time to put in some broccoli transplants from the nursery if you want to try something else. Or seed some hybrid seed near the end of the month for a fall crop. Last year I sowed June 1st, transplanted July 1st. Large heads were ready late Sept and I was picking side shoots in Oct, Nov & Dec.
ReplyDeleteLooks like there's a fine line between beautiful and bitter, huh? That's a very interesting predicament... My first thought is maybe there were a few warm snaps that caused them to become bitter?
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to others' inputs...
I had a bitter experience with Red Sails also...I think my problem was not harvesting soon enough, but I don't know for sure...I have only grown Broccoli De Cicco and a hybrid called Pac Man...Had good luck with both.
ReplyDeleteLike kitsapFG said it might just have been too warm for your lettuce, because you've been having enough rain, but hot days haven't you?
ReplyDeleteI do get bitter lettuce often (and I am sensitive to bitter) but it turns out that it is not generally a problem if I dress the lettuce with a simple balsamic vinaigrette and a nice finishing salt. I use a good quality aged balsamic vinegar (but not the super aged, super expensive ones), 3TBS olive oil to 1TBS vinegar and some fleur de sel. It masks the bitterness and somehow brings out the sweetness that is also present in the lettuce.
You had a large harvest, although a bitter one.
ReplyDeleteI am also not a fan of spicy radishes, that’s why I have composted the remaining plants.
I am not sure about bitter lettuce. Could it be that it is a variety that has a different taste than you expected. I don’t see any sign that it was lacking water.
I harvested my first broccoli yesterday too! I have never actually gotten any usable heads before so this is very exciting. I made stir fry with them.
ReplyDeleteI'm almost afraid to taste my lettuce now. We have had very warm temps and way too much rain. Even though I have a shade cloth over the lettuce bed, I am pretty sure I won't like the taste anymore. Why does lettuce season have to be so short? *Sigh*
Hmm I wonder if my lettuce is bitter too? I didn't harvest last week. How weather turns them bitter. Lack of water turns them bitter (and we have had weeks without much water between the weeks with too much water). Sometimes if you pick the lettuce, wash it in water then put it in the fridge for a few days it gets less bitter, but not always.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure, but I don't let my red sails grow to a head. I harvest just like leaf lettuce, as soon as the leaves and plant are big enough. It continues to grow and I continue to harvest. Lettuce that tends to spend too long in the ground and esp. in warm weather has gotten bitter in my garden too, even before it bolts.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your feedback everyone. Actually we tasted the lettuce again this morning and was pleasantly surprised to find that it had lost 90 percent of it's bitterness. I guess some time in a cold fridge did it some good. :)
ReplyDeleteYou didn't happen to try your lettuce right after the radish? LOL... when I eat radishes, I can't kick the taste for hours! Everything looks fantastic though, sorry about the bitterness, and that broccoli looks perfect! Sounds like a good variety and way to do it, young, before the worms have a chance to have a feast!
ReplyDeletep.s. I do it the same way as Lorie, and treat my Red Sails as a cut and come again lettuce, I didn't even realize it was a head lettuce, as it comes in one of my leaf mixtures.
ReplyDeleteThomas, picking first thing in the morning will increase the sugar content, this drops as the day goes on.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes found the Red Sails a little bitter, but I harvested some quite late in the summer, and like another post mentioned, once dressed we enjoyed it very much.
I am happy to hear things have mellowed!
That's a shame, Thomas. Lots of salad dressing for the lettuce. Salad dressing, like butter and bacon, make the world a better place.
ReplyDeleteHow strange that your Piracicaba tastes like raab, I've never had mine taste like that. I can barely get my husband to eat raab, I have to blanch it to reduce the bitterness and then spice it up with garlic and chiles. But he loves the Piracicaba. I wonder if you blanched the Piracicaba if it would taste better to you or maybe a night in the fridge would improve it like the lettuce.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to say that those mini napa cabbages look very appealing to me - although I don't have a clue about how they taste. I'll send ya a SASE for just a few seeds if ya have any available. I'd like to try them!
ReplyDeleteEG - send me an email and I'll happily ship some seeds out to you!
ReplyDeleteInteresting, our lettuces up on Westwood are very tasty, only slightly bitter and we've had much the same weather as you. We've been harvesting for a month.
ReplyDeleteI've never managed to get any proper summer brocolli either, only purple sprouting in the winter. Looks delicious though.
ReplyDeleteSorry about your lettuce and broccoli, but your Napa cabbages look great, grow some in fall and overwinter some, Napa taste sweeter in cold weather.
ReplyDeleteThe Napa cabbage looks wonderful! I'm envious. When my radishes get too hot, I put them into a stirfry. Cooking takes the heat right out of them. I put some into a corned beef and cabbage stew this week and my husband thought they tasted like potatoes. As for the lettuce, when it got too bitter due to age or hot weather, my mother used a hot bacon dressing on it to make wilted lettuce. Tasted great then.
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