Lettuce Pray

We grew lots of lettuce last year. It was such a great idea. We eat it. We all like it, within reason. Shoot, then, let's grow it! It's easy to grow. It comes straight out of the garden, all organic and leafy and right outside the back door, and ready to rinse and eat and enjoy.

Except that I realized last year that I can. not. stand. the sight of bugs on my food. I check every single raspberry for bugs when I get a carton at the store. Blagh.

List of things I will. not. eat. from the garden: broccoli, cauliflower, and now lettuce. Not ever. The first time I saw that lettuce, with a little down home dirt and a bug attached, well, I knew I couldn't get it in my mouth. My kids all ate it. Jim ate it. I abstained. I just couldn't do it. Yes, it was all cleaned and prepared with love and perfect for eating. But, Jose, no way.

Basically, I'm a fantastic role model.

I'll gladly eat my broccoli, cauliflower and lettuce all clean from the store, yes sir! I love all the other vegetables from our garden- I'm cool with those- it's just the leafy ones that make my throat quiver. Sorry. That's just the way it is.

Obviously, Jim had less zest about growing it this year. But did you know- lettuce, which comes from seed, just multiplies itself and grows back stronger the next year? And in the funniest of places? Hudson has some romaine growing right now in his egress window. And it's in a few other places outside our house around the garden- and the place where we grew it last year is a full-out lettuce bush, I tell you.

I just can't do it. But it is kinda pretty. So last night after a hard downpour, when the leaves were squeaky clean and vibrant and bugless, I cut a bunch of them and displayed them instead.

I've had all kinds of flowers in these votives this year- salvia, snapdragons, even big leaves wrapped under water all pretty, etc, etc... Lettuce is a first for me. Your body absorbs nutrient-rich fiber just looking at them. Really.