Howdy Friends and Fans! Today's blog is a light-hearted post from our signature crop Butterhead. Butterhead is our most well known living lettuce heads. A crowd favorite, buttery smooth, sweet lettuce, that we sell as both living heads and in our signature lettuce blends, Loudoun Lettuce and European Blend.
Hi! My name is Butterhead, but my friends call me BH. Ever wondered what it is like to be a head of lettuce? Not THE Head of Lettuce (that's what they call the human with beautiful red hair). I mean an actual head of lettuce. Like me and my friends grown at Endless Summer Harvest. If you are interested, stay tuned and we will take the journey together. I will tell you what it's like to be me. At the end of my story, you can see my life in pictures. I really hope you like them!
It all started one day when I was hanging out with my siblings, and a "human" (that's what I heard those giants are called), with a long grippy, tentacle-like thing (I hear that's called a "hand") swooped me up and stuck me into a container with hundreds more just like me, and then put us all inside a box. Next thing I know, I'm being jostled all around for hours! All the commotion stopped and someone opened the box, and then opened our container. There's this huge face staring down at me, and can you believe it- this human took me (and my friends) and dropped me into this dark hole! Next thing I know, I'm covered in and surrounded in this strange wet stuff. (By the way, we heard someone call this giant handsome human thing a "Matthew". Have you ever heard of a "Matthew"? Legend has it that this "Matthew" is skilled at making plants grow. We'll have to watch and see.)
I think I like this wet stuff. There is also this beautiful glow above. It makes me want to peek outside and see what's going on, so that's what I set out to do. This wet stuff made my outer coating easier to break open after a few days. I grow a root down into the dark spongy stuff. It works nicely to hold me up, like a foot, as I stick my head up and out toward the glorious light. This root is also how I eat and absorb nutrients. I look out, and see rows and rows of my friends doing the very same thing! Great minds think alike. As nature would have it, we all develop something called leaves. Most of us are green, but I see some in other trays that have beautiful red on them, and some are different shades of green. We stay in this nice warm, light, cozy room for a little while. I hear the humans say that this is the "nursery". Often, the human called "Matthew" comes and pours more of this wet stuff on us. We hear him say it has food and helps us grow. I think I like it a lot!
Then one day, this "Matthew" (the one who put me into the dark hole) picks us all up and takes us all out to something called a "greenhouse". Are all houses green? This house isn't the same green color as me, so my friends and I wonder why it would be called a "greenhouse". It's warm like that "nursery" place, but loud and a whole lot brighter. We all stay out there, in our trays for a while. Then one day, another giant human with a "hand" (maybe those are standard equipment on the "humans"?) grabs me and my friends and pulls us all apart, and drops us in another place. It's like a tube, but has holes in the top, so my head and leaves stick out. What's neat about this tube is that the strange wet stuff with the food is always there. I finally heard them call this stuff "water". It's always flowing across my roots (which have been growing and duplicating). I decide it's time to take up some more space, and make my leaves grow even bigger. Maybe if I do that, one day I can find a way to get out of here and see the world. It seems as though we all have had the same idea, because all of my friends are doing it, too.
It's been a few weeks, and the humans have been keeping an eye on us. One of them said something about saving a "gutter" to sell as heads, and puts up a bright flag that stops the others from touching us. This has us curious. Does that mean we are special? It must! I've seen how beautiful we all look, with our leaves broad and beautiful green and red. Just look at how round and full I have become!
I have lost count of how long I have been in this "gutter". I like it here. There is always food and the temperature suits me. But I must have a bigger purpose. These days, it's getting tight in here. All of my friends are saying the same thing. It's time to move on. Even though we love the atmosphere of this "greenhouse" place, we all think there must be more to it. Some of our friends have already been "harvested". This means that a human they call "Guy" came along and them pulled out of the "gutter" and put them in a big green box. I wonder where they all went? Rumor has it that some of my friends have been taken to "the table" for "blends". That sounds interesting...fun...like a party!
There has been a lot of talk about "perfect size" and "beautiful shape". They must be talking about me. I am something to behold, if I do say so myself! Just look at me! If you measure me, I am 12 inches across. I am special! How could you not be special in this place?
Today must be the day! The one human known as "THE Head of Lettuce" (the one with the red hair) came to see me. She "oohed and aahed", and basked in my glory and went on and on about how perfect I am. The human called "Guy" brought the big green box to my "gutter". He unplugged the wet stuff, and started taking us all out, one by one, and carefully placing us in this green box. We are all nestled together, safe, but curious...where will we go now? This human takes us and removes some yuck off of us. We are then nestled in this long box, and we are closed into a place that is really cold and dark. Brrrrr! I think I heard this "Guy" talk about a "market". I wonder what that means? It must be a magical place, because he talks about it with great excitement. I can't wait to see where this journey takes me and my friends.
Once again, I feel that jostling. This time when it's over, the "Guy" flings open our box and with a big grin, proclaims that the "customers" will love us. Well who wouldn't love us, just look at us! We are magnificent! The sun is shining down on us, and the crowd looks on us in awe. One by one, my friends are taken home. And then I am chosen, yes!! I AM the perfect head of lettuce! My future must be bright, and there are so many possibilities waiting for me. So begins the next chapter of my life. I will bring joy to a dish, I just know it!
Friends and Fans, that's a lettuce wrap! Thanks for indulging us in this fun, light-hearted post of Butterhead's adventures in life. We hope you enjoy a red or green Butterhead in the near future, maybe in a salad, or as a wrap, or on your burger or sammie. Until then, stay happy, stay healthy. We'll see you at market!
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