Julie Bove > wrote:
> I remember telling my mom when I was a kid that I didn't like Romaine
> because it was bitter. She told me that it wasn't. We only ever bought
> Iceberg at home and I grew leaf lettuce. I'd had Romaine in a restaurant.
> But after that, the restaurant salads were not bitter so I though maybe it
> was something else causing the bitterness. Until now.
>
> I've been getting boxes of organic produce from Full Circle Farms. The
> Romaine we had tonight and last night was fine but the stuff in the two
> shipments prior was so bitter that I didn't want to eat it. Only difference
> I could see was that the bitter stuff was in bigger/'longer heads. So...
>
> Does anyone know what causes the bitterness?
>
>

Bolting causes bitter lettuce, which is generally caused by high temps and
lack of water.