Lovely Lettuce

 Lettuce is one of the first crops of early summer.  Here in the Evans garden, we don't wait until the heads are fully formed to eat, but rather start nibbling early on - picking the outer leaves, while the plant continues to grow, and then thinning smaller plants while the rest form nice heads.  A farmer friend plants mixed lettuces very densely, then basically does a haircut on them - cuts all the leaves down as a harvest, and leaves them to grow again.  If you don't grow your own, try to get locally grown organic lettuce of interesting varieties - the taste is completely different to the store-bought iceberg and romaine.  And beware of hydroponic lettuces - they might look nice, but most of them have been grown in a water bath of fertilizers and chemicals, and have as much taste as...well, as you could expect of a vegetable grown in water.


Salad seems like a simple enough thing but allows for infinite variety.  We grow a number of different lettuces, some crisp and tall, others soft and delicate, some red, some green.  We also grow arugula, mizuma, sorrel, and a variety of Italian escaroles and endives. Joining these in the salad bowl are early leaves of kale, chard, chinese cabbage and spinach.  Each has a different taste and texture.  Usually, I pick a bit of everything, leave the leaves whole or torn in half, and throw them in a wooden bowl.  Each bite is a surprise - lemony sorrel, bitter endive, crisp romaine, spicy arugala, mustardy mizuma.  Sometimes I want a simple approach, and highlight just one green.  Cesar salads are the most famous of these  - just chopped cos, cheese, dressing and croutons, with the occasional anchovy - but the Italians also favor this approach. A plate of arugula, drizzled with olive oil and topped with flakes of parmesan or gran panado is divine. 


Another approach is the one that we call "Veronica salad" because it's used by my sister-in-law (named, as you would guess, Veronica).  She takes all the leaves and chops them up very small.  This is great fun sometimes, with all the tastes blending together.


A salad can be simple - just a highlight of delicious lettuce - or you can make it more elaborate by adding in any variety of extras.  Tomatoes, cucumbers, thinly sliced carrots and purple cabbage are all part of the standard American salad.  However, cooked chickpeas or edamame beans, olives, sliced kohlrabi, red peppers, toasted pine nuts or almonds, sliced apples, raisins or date pieces can all create a fun meal.


These days, I tend to keep my salads simple, highlighting the beauty and taste of the lettuce.  


To wash lettuce, fill a large bowl or small sink with cold water.  Place the lettuce or salad greens in.  After a few minutes, the dirt will sink to the bottom, and the leaves can be gently removed.  I think salad spinners are way to rough for the delicate leaves, so I just dry mine gently in a dishcloth or flour sack.  

Lettuces are lovely and healthy!  Nutritional values vary greatly with variety and the growing technique.  Lettuces provide a lot of fiber.  They provide water.  They are very low in calories. Lettuces also give us vitamin C, beta-carotene, folate, potassium, vitamin K, vitamin A, a variety of B vitamins, minerals like chromium manganese and magnesium, as well as chlorophyll.  Lettuce is good for your heart, good for weight loss, good for your liver, good for fighting cancer.  

Americans have their salad at the beginning of the meal.  This isn't a bad idea - it allows you to fill up with low-calorie, high-fiber raw vegetables before a heavy meal.  In Europe, the salad is usually last, which cleanses the palate, and the liver, after the meal.   Here in the Evans house, the salad is often the meal.  A large salad with a small amount of protein - some hard-boiled eggs, a steak sliced thin, some grilled salmon, a piece of chicken - and a crusty whole grain bread provides a beautiful light summer dinner.