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Thread: The lettuce...

  1. #1
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    The lettuce...

    How do you get the taste of fish out of the lettuce? I have lush looking lettuce now. Its about ready to pick and make a salad out of only after 40 days of growth. But I took one of the plants out and ate it and it had a very distinct fishy taste. I understand that it tastes like fish because there is a lot of water in lettuce, but is there a way to clean the water up so its odorless, yet still healthy and tastes great?

  2. #2
    Moderator urbanfarmer's Avatar
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    Re: I can taste the fish in the lettuce...

    You thoroughly washed the lettuce and it still had a fishy taste? Was everyone who ate it able to detect it? Was it a fresh fishy taste or an old fishy taste or more like fishy water? How much lettuce tasted this way?

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    Re: I can taste the fish in the lettuce...

    i've had quite a bit of lettuce out of my system and it never tasted "fishy" in any way...
    how many fish do you have? how big is your ft and how big is/are your growbeds? what are your water parameters?

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    Re: The lettuce...

    I did not wash the lettuce, ate it without a good washing. Tonight Im going to wash the next head of lettuce and see if it was just that one. The taste was a fishy water taste, but very subtle, and it was only one head of lettuce.

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    Moderator davidstcldfl's Avatar
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    Re: I can taste the fish in the lettuce...

    Wow Tanktotable. I've been reading AP forums for a few years now, and never heard anyone say this before. I remember someone asking one time, 'if' it could happen...
    At one of the australian sites, some one made the statement that they could taste the salt in their celery and could tell when it was time to add more. ( A lot of them add a little salt to their systems over there)
    Maybe you have a better sense of 'taste' then most of us ? I have allergies and some times my sense of 'taste' isn't as good as at other times...

    Quote Originally Posted by urbanfarmer
    Was it a fresh fishy taste or an old fishy taste or more like fishy water?
    .....I was just getting over laughing at cucumbers that make your crotch go bald....then UF got me started all over again.....

    I'm wondering the same as UF and Keith...how's your water ?
    I had some pretty dirty water, when I was grossly overstocked. (trying to grow out some 'extra' fish for 2 different people, to start their systems)
    The lettuce didn't taste like fish, they just grew like crazy.

    If you are using rafts, you might try setting up a trough with just de-chlorinated water ( maybe with a little maxi-crop) and let them grow there for a few days before eating them...'?'
    "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." - President Ronald Reagan

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    Re: The lettuce...

    I just harvested some young 2 week old lettuce when I was thinning my bed and boy did it taste good. No fishy smell but then again when I put my nose to my water it doesn't smell either. I did wish mine well in the sink before eating as a precaution. It was tasty but unfortunately only a small portion. How does your water smell?

  7. #7
    Moderator urbanfarmer's Avatar
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    Re: The lettuce...

    Quote Originally Posted by Tanktotable
    I did not wash the lettuce, ate it without a good washing. Tonight Im going to wash the next head of lettuce and see if it was just that one. The taste was a fishy water taste, but very subtle, and it was only one head of lettuce.
    Unfortunately, here is what is likely the culprit. You see, not many things in nature taste fishy. Yes, the fish smell fishy, but just because there are fish in the water doesn't mean the water is going to smell fishy. In fact, what makes most AP water smell fish is in fact the fish poo. It's not just any fish poo, it's fish poo from fish that are fed a pellet diet made from mostly fish meal (the body of the fish). Therefore, what has occurred her, my dear Watson, is there are very tiny fragments of partially digested fish poo containing high levels of undigested fish meal.

    WE HAVE LEARNED 2 THINGS.

    1) Rinse your lettuce.

    2) Your fish need to be fed a more digestible protein AND you need to feed them less as they cannot fully utilize the feed (in other words your FCR is going through the roof).



    EDIT: You posted that just as I posted this... oh that's too good!

  8. #8
    Members dead_sled's Avatar
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    Re: The lettuce...

    My take away is......
    If my food is grown with fish poo, wash it before eating.
    Less irritating avatar since 02/27/14.

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    Re: The lettuce...

    There is a great lesson learned through this, and is why I love to getting more involved with aquaponics, hands on learning and trial and error. Dead_sled, well said

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