Butter Lettuce Delivery or Pickup

Tender and delicate, butter lettuce is a chef's favorite type of lettuce to use for salads, wraps, or to add to sandwiches. Butter lettuce, sometimes known as Bibb or Boston lettuce, is often found in markets in a plastic clamshell container with its roots still attached. Offering butter lettuce in this manner helps to prolong the life of the tender leaves.

Butter lettuce is a type of loose-leaf lettuce that comes in a vibrant green color, or with striking red leaves. The formation of the leaves makes butter lettuce ideal for garnishes as well as holders for chicken or tuna salad, marinated shrimp, or something spicy such as Korean barbecue meat. The best way to serve any of the butter head lettuces is in a simple salad with a light vinaigrette and grated parmesan cheese.

All lettuce varieties, including butter lettuce, are in the same family as the daisy flower, Asteraceae, with its genus being Lactuca Sativa. The two most popular varieties of butter lettuce in the United States are Bibb and Boston lettuce. Bibb lettuce is a hybrid of Boston lettuce. In 1950, botanist John Bibb developed the popular Bibb butter lettuce commonly found in stores and farmers markets today. On the other hand, Boston lettuce would tend to have smaller heads and a sweeter flavor profile. High-end restaurants and gourmet chefs enjoy serving the red leaf variety of Boston butter lettuce for its show-stopping looks.

When you want fresh, tender butter lettuce for your next meal, save time and make your day easier when you order butter lettuce through Instacart. Simply place your order for butter lettuce via the Instacart website or through the app on your smartphone, and an Instacart shopper will deliver the lettuce to you within the same day!

Butter lettuce originated in the Mediterranean basin with its cool temperate climate. Over the centuries, hybrid variations have been developed, with Bibb and Boston butter lettuce being the benchmark of this lettuce variety. Butter lettuce has a sweet flavor with a melt-in-your-mouth texture which gives butter lettuce its name.

When shopping for butter lettuce, you can buy whole heads, whole heads with the roots still attached, often called living lettuce, or pre-washed lettuce in bags. For whole heads, look for bright green leaves, or if choosing red butter lettuce, look for leaves that are green towards the root ball and tinged with red towards the top of the lettuce head. Avoid heads of lettuce with brown, wilted leaves, or heads of lettuce that have a dried-out root ball. When shopping for pre-washed lettuce in bags, check the expiration date, and look for lettuce with vibrant leaves.

If you have butter lettuce in the clamshell with healthy roots still attached, the lettuce will keep in the refrigerator for up to five or six days. Keep the lettuce whole and only remove the leaves you'll need immediately. Wash and dry the leaves, and they're ready to serve. For lettuce without the root ball, take the leaves off of the core, wash them, dry them and store them in a perforated plastic bag with a paper towel in it to help absorb any excess moisture. Pre-washed lettuce can keep up to three or four days in the refrigerator.