When it comes to harvesting lettuce, there are options. It can be harvested as a whole head, or the leaves can be cut off leaving the growing point in tact to keep producing more leaves, which is known as the “cut-and-come-again” technique. Watching an experienced farmer expertly cut away the leaves was a little daunting, but I’m there to learn so I don’t hesitate to accept the knife and get to cutting.
Once the knife is in my hand and it is my turn to take the leaves off, I’m filled with the nervous dread of doing it wrong. I’m worried about harming the plant, but I don’t mean that to sound like I don’t want to cause the plant pain. What I mean is I’m worried I will cut improperly and cause the plant to die, thus ending it’s productivity.
Watching plants grow from seed to transplants, then experiencing the act of putting them into the ground dozens at a time, does not lessen the interest and joy I take from each plant. Seeing life growing and producing food, and knowing I had something to do with that process, is still very special to me.
I think it partially stems from not having grown many things myself in the past, so every life I see growing as a result of some action I took is still exciting. It is still hard for me to thin the transplants during planting when multiple seeds have sprouted and I must choose only one to plant and discard the other. Seeing plants that must be discarded due to illness or malady still gives me a moment of sadness.
So as I take the knife to a full lettuce plant to reduce it back to a growing crown, I am conscious of the life I have helped to cultivate, and I am truly grateful for the bounty it is giving me.
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