Grow Your Own Magazine

So two of the easiest crops to grow are my two least favourite to eat. At least from the stuff I've grown myself. My lettuce is all rather bitter, even the small leaves from near the hearts and my radishes are all really peppery. Closer to horseradish than regular radish.

Can anyone tell me how to improve them? Am I growing them too slow? Too hot, too cold? Not enough water, too much? What could it be? For the lettuce, I'm certain it's not the variety, as I have 5 types going and they all somewhat bitter, some more than others.

Chilling lettuce overnight helps to remove the bitterness.

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would "blanching or forcing method work i know you do this method with dandylions to help reduce the bitterness also picking earliers helps as well also someone posted a thread about boiling radishes to make them taste better too,

I think your taste buds just don't like them. Grow something else

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cook them!

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Yo an' Bob
Walk lightly on the earth
take only what you need
give all you can
and your produce will be bountifull

You never mentioned what varieties you are growing.

We are growing Salad Bowl (Lettuce) and Sparkler 3 (Radish). Both taste great regardless to size.
Apparently, Sparkler 3 will taste bad if they are over the size of a large marble (about 2cm) but we have eaten these way over this size and never had any that are too peppery or woody.

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Try and grow your lettuce in cool and moist conditions and harvest it on the young side - heat and age toughen a lettuce (and a person!).

It shouldn't be bitter, so try and alter your growing conditions. A little extra nitrogen and water might help next time.

I agree with TS grow something else that you do like. Personally I love lettuce and mayo sarnies and don't find any of the lettuce at all bitter.

Ian

one of my daughters was an anti salad person and would never eat lettuce, until she tried Lambs Lettuce

You could try growing that

I thought radishes were supposed to be peppery

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Sometimes insuffiicent water can make lettuces taste bitter. Don't know about radishes though.

lzyjo's simple tip of chilling the lettuce has helped a lot. I did that last night and found what I picked was tasty and edible for lunch. Some was still a bit bitter, but interesting flavour-bitter, not gag at the back of the throat-bitter.

As for the radishes, I'll try plucking them small (not sure of the type, they are a mixed rainbow type) and see how that goes.

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and ideas.