Getting the most out of your lettuce harvest!

So, as you already know, if you've been reading this blog much at all, I started growing my own food with a couple AeroGarden setups last December. I have gone from some seeds/seed pods and water to a kitchen that looks kinda like a jungle with all the potted plants (from transplanting) everywhere as well as the AeroGardens, and it's ALL edible, and in many cases, also medicinal. Which is awesome, but isn't really what this post is about.

This is, specifically, regarding my lettuces, which, by now, I have divided and regrown countless times. I went from 6 pods initially to... I don't even know now. I have lettuce everywhere. 

Seriously, just today I harvested about 2.5 POUNDS of lettuce leaves, cause even though I still had about 1/2 pound left in the fridge (and I eat a LOT of salad), it had gotten tall and big enough to interfere with the grow lights and keep new leaves from growing properly! 
There's still enough left on the plants that I could make another huge salad just with another harvest, but I can also let them grow just fine for another few days or so before I have to prune any more. 

That is a freaking LOT of lettuce! 
I have enough excess now that I can start trading my extra salad greens with a friend who keeps chickens, for fresh eggs. How awesome is that!? (It's pretty dang awesome!)

Anyway, initially, I was thinking the harvest "season" for them was going to be a lot shorter than it is, because that is what everyone said, including the AeroGarden folks. Well, I've already had about double the "expected" harvest season, but I still thought I was going to need to "retire" some of the plants pretty soon. Here's why. 

At a certain point, the lettuce starts to bolt, no matter how well and faithfully you've been pruning. The stalks start getting taller and more woody, and you still have a decent amount of leaves, but you also have the lettuces trying to flower, and you've got a lot more thick stems that are just too tough to enjoy in a salad, even if you chop them up pretty well. So, in terms of growing "real estate", if you have a limited area in which to grow all that you are going to grow, you end up with more by-product than it's worth to keep the plants growing, rather than starting new plants, which are almost exclusively tasty, tender, lettuce leaves. 
Right?
Wrong!! 
As it turns out, these stems and flower buds are totally usable in anything where you'd use broccoli stems, carrots, thicker asparagus, etc. 
Like the awesome "stratarole" that is in the oven as I type this. 

Also great chopped up and roasted with root veggies or Brussels sprouts, tossed in stir frys, minced finely into soups, sauces (like spaghetti sauce), or anywhere else you want to sneak in some extra leafy green veggie nutrition. 

And, speaking of nutrition, get this; The stalks and stems often have an even higher concentration - up to double for certain nutrients, like vitamin C - of the vitamins and minerals found in the leaves! 


The flavour of the stalks is generally going to be similar to the leaf flavour profile, and may be a little bitter, owing to lactucarium - the milky, white sap that is produced in this phase of growing (which also has medicinal properties, as a mild sedative and analgesic, in sufficient quantities). It's perfectly edible and not at all harmful, but you could rinse it off if you wanted to. I never bother. Once the stalks are cooked and even lightly seasoned, it's not at all noticeable, and even less so cooked along with other ingredients. 

The leaves you get from these stalks are going to tend to be a bit more bitter than when the plant was younger, but as long as you're mixing them in with your younger lettuces, it isn't at all unpleasant. You may not be as prone to want to munch them directly from the stalk as you harvest, like the more tender leaves, if you prefer only sweeter lettuces, but they will still be a super tasty addition to your salads too. 

To keep harvesting the stalks and leaves, just use sharp scissors or small pruners and cut the stalks right off, as far down as you feel like. Just make sure there is still some budding leave growth showing below the cut, and it will be all good. Strip the leaves off and put with the rest of your leaves, and store the stems like you would store broccoli or asparagus. 

I suppose there may be a point at which even this extended harvest ends, but it's been four months, and I have yet to find it. I'll update when/if I discover it. 

Enjoy your new cooking vegetables, and please feel free to comment or contact me with any new recipes or uses you find with it!

TEOTWAWKI!! (Not all that likely, but...)

There's a lot of talk about "The end of the world as we know it" - total, global collapse of commerce, infrastructure, society, law and order, etc. -  and being prepared for such an eventuality. 

Preppers prep for it. Scoffers scoff at it. Most people completely ignore the whole idea.

The reality is that total collapse is not really all that likely a scenario, and most of us do realise that. The thing is though, pretty much all the same preparations for the ultimate SHTF situation will also stand us in good stead for the more likely situations. Things from the mundane - normal winter storms, scheduled (or not) utility maintenance, fried squirrel/bird/racoon transformer blowout, or a vehicle hitting a utility pole - to more severe things like earthquakes, floods, severe storms (hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, etc), epidemics, war, large scale terrorist attacks, or whatever.
 All of these routinely include downed trees, blocked or closed roads, power or other utility outages, shortages of supplies in stores (or closures), and, of course, panicked sheeple, and usually come with little to no warning. 

Preparedness makes most of these things a relatively minor inconvenience, rather than an emergency, and makes even the more major disasters more easily survivable, so you and yours are not only doing ok, but also, not further straining rescue efforts, and potentially in a position to help!

Even something as simple as having car trouble and being stranded on the side of the road somewhere for a while can end up being a dire emergency if you're not properly prepared. 

I have personally experienced several situations over the years, where being prepared made the difference between emergency and inconvenience, including: Being stranded in a vehicle in the middle of nowhere for one to several days (alone and with kids/dogs); stranded in a van with the back half hanging off a nasty drop overnight once (with 2 adults, 2 big dogs, and a pre-teen in the van!); house full of holiday guests totally snowed in with no road access for nine days, almost half of which with no power or running water; caught in gnarly bad storms out in the middle of a National Forest, with exit roads impassable; stuck for extra time in the forest due to nearby forest fires (or emergency personnel fighting them) blocking access roads except for evacuation areas; multiple power and other utility outages; being stuck with no vehicle and no way home (or anywhere) overnight or for days/hours, due to cancelled Greyhound buses/inclement weather or just missing the last local bus; and various other "interesting times". 

Every one of those experiences was reduced to, at worst, a royal pain in the arse, and everyone involved was able to get/stay warm (or cool, as needed), dry, fed, sheltered, safe, comfortable, and had a sanitary way to relieve themselves and clean up afterward. Most of the time, we were even entertained too! 
That outcome, in every instance, was a result of being prepared!

So... Even if you are a total scoffer, and don't think there is any chance, whatsoever of TEOTWAWKI, there are plenty of good reasons to prepare for it anyway!

It's probably not the Zombie Apocalypse! (Realistic SHTF scenarios for regular people)

"Khaos is waiting for the zombie apocalypse! LOLOLOLOL!"

"We'll all just come to your house when the world ends! Harharhar!"

"Don't you mean BUNKER? Trololololol"

"She runs a Costco on the side! Hahaha!" 

Yup. Hilarity! I routinely hear these, and all sorts of other knee-slapping, solid bronze comedic content from friends and family.

The sad fact is, most "ordinary" people, it seems, still view stocking up beyond next week, having emergency supplies on hand, knowing how to do things without modern conveniences (and having the tools and materials to do so!), are silly, pessimistic, foolish, "asking for trouble" (WHAT!?), or downright crazy. Somehow, they equate being prepared for any eventuality with hoping for or hastening some looming, doomsday scenario.

Reality check, folks:
Being unprepared for an emergency won't keep one from happening! All it does is make you and those who depend on you more likely to suffer the consequences.

Being prepared frequently means the  difference between an emergency or survival situation and an inconvenience. In true disaster conditions, it can mean the difference between surviving and not.

If your car dies on the side of the road and you've gotta wait a couple hours for assistance, it could mean you have a "bathroom", plenty of water (and coffee!), something to snack on, protection from the weather, and maybe something to keep the kids (and grownups) entertained while you wait.

If the power goes out right before supper, it could mean you can still have a good meal, instead of scrounging for something that doesn't need electricity to prepare or having to go out to get something.

If the roads, power, and water are out in a good sized area for a few days or a week and you have taken the trouble to even stock up on a few days worth of food, water, extra medications, an outdoor cooking method, candles and/or battery powered lighting, and a few other supplies, things may be a little uncomfortable, but you're going to be just fine. Conversely, those people who refuse to plan ahead even in the slightest will have a true emergency on their hands. Not only are their own lives and well being, and that of their dependents, in danger. No - their (in)actions have endangered countless others as well. They've placed additional burden on their neighbours, communities, and emergency services. Now, rather than just having to worry about getting needed services and care to those who legitimately rely on electricity, special equipment, and such for medical reasons, first responders and rescue personnel have to spend precious moments and supplies bailing out some asshole who had the means to look after themselves, and chose not to. If it were up to me, I'd probably let them hang! Oh.. I'd take in their young kids and pets if I could, since they didn't have a say in the matter. The idiots though - those same folks who laugh the loudest about how stupid "preppers" are? They'd be on their own! Cause guess what? Nope. You're NOT coming to my house (or bunker, or BOL, or...) when the SHTF! And if you decide to try anyway, just remember your "Rambo" wisecracks regarding my gear, training, "paranoia", and defences, and think again.

Those few who happen to have been in my company when things have gone wrong... who enjoyed hot food and coffee, clean water, warmth, a safe and comfortable place to sleep, and that sort of thing when they would have otherwise been cold, hungry, afraid, and otherwise ill prepared when power or water has gone out, a vehicle has broken down in the middle of nowhere, roads have become impassable and the city (transit, emergency services, power, stores and other businesses closed) basically shut down, and the like, no longer join in the heckling. Of course, they don't risk being lumped in with the "loony" by standing up and saying anything either, but that's ok for now. Ya can't win 'em all!

The absolute, MOST vital survival tool! You and those depending on you WILL DIE if you don't use it!

Make sure this is part of your every day carry!!

Sure, there are lots and lots of articles, advertisements, blog posts, and such out there claiming that this or that piece of gear is the number one, most important thing to have in your kit, but this one is the only one that pretty much guarantees failure if you don't use it. 

Everyone already has on at their disposal, and it's free to use. In fact, the more you use it, the more useful it becomes, and, unlike most gear, the longer it takes to wear out!

I'm referring, of course, to BRAINS - Not just the zombie apocalypse delicacy of choice, but a fully integrated, versatile, and irreplaceable item!

A quick Google search for "most important survival tool" yields many hits, and differing opinions, with a few enduring trends.

Among the claims of what ONE thing will save you if you have nothing else, the most common were (in order of popularity):

• knife
• multi-tool 
• water filter
• water
• food
• water container
• machete  
• axe
• warm clothing
• ammo
• can opener
• tarp (WTF??)
• prayer
• first aid kit

The third hit got close, with, "knowledge", and the third hit on the second page of results added to that with, "Practice and Common Sense", but it was halfway down the third page of results before I finally found, "the three-pound object that rests between your ears. Your brain!". 

In the articles, blogs, how-tos, etc on the first five pages of results, including comments on the various articles, "brain" or "mind" only popped up three times! The ones listed above all were mentioned a great many times, and there were lots of other one-offs, but it seems the idea of being smart is just not all that popular.

I admit, talking about how to prepare SMART doesn't make for nearly as cool articles and videos as all the latest, ultralight gear, knives and firearms to make Rambo green with envy, and video tutorials on how to make a fire bow & drill, build a debris shelter, collect water, and the like, and all those skills and a lot of the gear are absolutely great to have, but seriously, none of that is going to be worth a thing if you can't think on your feet and make smart decisions on the fly and in short order!

SO... If you have nothing else at all when the shit hits the fan, be sure that you've been keeping your most important and useful survival tool in your EDC honed to a razor-sharp edge and using it daily, so it will serve you well when life depends on it.