Salad days will soon be here

Summer days will soon be on their way and we look forward to picnics in the park, barbeques in the garden and fresh salads for lunch or tea. The main ingredient for salad is lettuce and we often use lettuce to go in sandwiches and as part of a burger in a bun. Lettuce is part of the daisy family and we usually eat the leaves of the lettuce cold and raw. However, in China it is often eaten cooked and the stem is eaten as well as the leaves.

The lettuce starts with a short stem and when it blooms the stem grows longer and branches out like a tree. It produces flowers like small dandelions. This is called bolting. When we grow lettuce to eat we pick the lettuce before this happens.

You can grow lettuce in your garden. If you do, make sure you select the right seeds. It is best to ask an adult, neighbour or someone from your local garden centre about the best seeds for your area. The best time to start growing lettuce from seed is when there are no more frosts e.g. April in the UK.

Find a nice border in the garden that has been used for growing vegetables. Put the seeds in the ground about twelve inches apart and then cover them over with a thin layer of soil. Make sure there are no weeds in the soil and water the area regularly. When the seeds have grown above the ground you may need to take out any weak or small plants so there is plenty of room for the bigger plants to grow.

Keep the plants well watered over the summer months but don't over water them as this can cause disease. Also over watering encourages slugs who enjoy eating lettuce. The lettuce will be ready to pick when the centre is firm. You cut the plant off at ground level and you might be lucky with the plant growing more leaves.

Lettuce probably originated from around the Mediterranean Sea where it grew on rocky land or in forests where there were no trees. The Romans often used to have lettuce at the end of the meal as it helped them sleep. In these times lettuce was also seen as something that would encourage you to eat.

When buying lettuce try not to buy the ones that have been picked, cut, washed, packaged and exposed to light on the supermarket shelves for a couple of days. There is little goodness left in the plant by then. You should buy them fresh from a greengrocer or market stall. In which case there will be more vitamins and iron.

There are a huge number of varieties including some that are crisp, ones that have a red colouring and it is great to try different types of lettuce at the same time. This is sometimes known as a mixed leaf salad. So have a look and see what types you can find locally and give them a try, either on their own or with a salad dressing.

Date

1/4/2008