BEHR Gemüsegarten: Products

Butterhead lettuce hearts

Butterhead lettuce originally comes from the Mediterranean region and is probably derived from the wild lettuce, a steppe plant from southern Europe. Butterhead lettuce was already known in ancient times, when it was used as a medicinal plant.

The leaves of the lettuce form half rosettes, with a head forming in the middle. Hence the name butterhead lettuce, which also refers to the mostly butter-soft leaves of our butterhead lettuce varieties. Butterhead lettuce hearts are the inner leaves of the lettuce, which are usually lighter, more delicate and crisper than the protective and darker outer leaves.

We only use the ‘heart’ of the lettuce for our Butterhead lettuce hearts. So just the inner part of the Butterhead lettuce, which is how the name came about. As well as their soft leaves and mild taste, our Butterhead lettuce hearts are also special because of their handy size. They are ideal for small households, as they can be used to make 1 to 2 portions of salad. In short, it's fair to say that Butterhead lettuce hearts offer the very best part of the Butterhead lettuce.

Cultivation and harvesting

We grow our butterhead lettuce hearts at our locations in Ohlendorf (Lower Saxony), Büttelborn (South Hesse) and Bornheim (North Rhine-Westphalia). Butterhead lettuce is grown exclusively outdoors.

Preparation and freshness tips

The Butterhead lettuce hearts are very easy to prepare. First, cut out the stalk in a circle. Then the individual leaves come loose and you can wash them well. Spin the lettuce dry and tear into pieces of any size.

Butterhead lettuce hearts are an excellent base for creating a wide variety of raw vegetable salads, served with a fruity and sweet, creamy, or oil and vinegar dressing. It also works very well served as a salad on its own. Butterhead lettuce hearts are also great served on their own as a salad, creating a crisp and at the same time delicate and above all mild salad on the plate.

Fresh lettuce hearts will always have a firm head. To protect the sensitive leaves as well as possible, our lettuce hearts are wrapped in film immediately after harvesting in the field. In addition to protecting the lettuce from dirt and damage, the film also keeps the lettuce fresh for longer.

Butterhead lettuce hearts has very tender, thin leaves and should therefore be eaten soon after purchase. It is best to store the lettuce in its packaging in the vegetable compartment of the fridge. Butterhead lettuce hearts are one of the types of lettuce most sensitive to ethylene. Ethylene is a plant hormone that promotes fruit ripening and is therefore responsible for the post-ripening of fruit and vegetables. Therefore, products that release a lot of ethylene, such as apples and tomatoes, should not be stored next to ethylene-sensitive products such as lettuce. This can cause the lettuce to develop brown spots and spoil more quickly.