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SQWIBB · January 14, 2019

January 11th, 2019

Dinner as promised to my wife.

Black Seeded Simpson, Romaine Caesar Salad.

January 13th, 2019

The Romaine and Black Seeded Simpson that was harvested for the Caesar salad Friday had some of that feared milky white substance on the heavier parts of the plant like the stalks and was a bit bitter, I was a bit miffed by this. I'm guessing that 75°F - 80°F may be a bit too much for growing the lettuce, the only other variables would be duration of light or nutrients. Watering could not be an issue as the soil was always moist.

Sunday I pulled a romaine that still had another week to go and there was still the milky substance but barely noticeable, a quick rinse after slicing and it was perfectly fine.

So from what I could find out, it is called Lactucarium. I have had this problem before when growing outside. Researching this I found it to be a form of "Natural" Latex and my daughter is allergic to "synthetic" latex, she didn't seem to be bothered by it.

I'm going to try and grow the lettuce on the concrete floor, here it will be a bit cooler and receive less light. I also ordered a few more lettuces to try that are supposedly more heat tolerant.

Since the arugula and mustard greens are in the Brassica family this may not be a problem.

I was going to regrow the heads but I have so much Romaine that I decided to toss the cut heads that showed lactucarium and only regrow ones that weren't as milky.

I was happier with the immature head of Romaine. The white specs on the lettuce is water droplets and a crappy camera pic, not Lactucarium.

Moved some of the older Romaine to the cooler floor, not sure if it's too late for these guys are not.

January 14, 2019	#7
SQWIBB Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Philly 7A Posts: 739	January 11th, 2019 Dinner as promised to my wife. Black Seeded Simpson, Romaine Caesar Salad. January 13th, 2019 The Romaine and Black Seeded Simpson that was harvested for the Caesar salad Friday had some of that feared milky white substance on the heavier parts of the plant like the stalks and was a bit bitter, I was a bit miffed by this. I'm guessing that 75°F - 80°F may be a bit too much for growing the lettuce, the only other variables would be duration of light or nutrients. Watering could not be an issue as the soil was always moist. Sunday I pulled a romaine that still had another week to go and there was still the milky substance but barely noticeable, a quick rinse after slicing and it was perfectly fine. So from what I could find out, it is called Lactucarium. I have had this problem before when growing outside. Researching this I found it to be a form of "Natural" Latex and my daughter is allergic to "synthetic" latex, she didn't seem to be bothered by it. I'm going to try and grow the lettuce on the concrete floor, here it will be a bit cooler and receive less light. I also ordered a few more lettuces to try that are supposedly more heat tolerant. Since the arugula and mustard greens are in the Brassica family this may not be a problem. I was going to regrow the heads but I have so much Romaine that I decided to toss the cut heads that showed lactucarium and only regrow ones that weren't as milky. I was happier with the immature head of Romaine. The white specs on the lettuce is water droplets and a crappy camera pic, not Lactucarium. Moved some of the older Romaine to the cooler floor, not sure if it's too late for these guys are not.