Types Of Lettuce
Information About the Different Types of Lettuce
Although most people are mainly familiar with iceberg lettuce because it is the most common type sold in grocery stores, there are several different types of lettuce. If you visit a Farmer’s Market you will be faced with a choice of several different greens.
You can find different types of lettuce throughout the year, but for most lettuce varieties the best time to buy is in the fall and spring. This is when the lettuce will be fresh and sweet, after the summer temperatures heat up, lettuce tends to become wilted and taste bitter.
Among the different types of lettuce is Arugula lettuce; you can recognize this type of lettuce due to its green leaves that look as if they are spiked. When you taste Arugula lettuce it will have a slight pepper taste to it. When buying this variety of lettuce it is a good idea to keep in mind that the larger the leaves, the stronger the flavor will be. For this reason if you do not want that bold peppery taste you’ll probably want to buy lettuce with smaller leaves.
One of the most popular types of lettuce that is considered to be head lettuce is Butter Lettuce; this variety grows in a compact head much like that of Iceberg Lettuce. This lettuce has large, delicate leaves and is popular in green salads.
Mizuna lettuce is actually mustard greens of the Asian variety; it is one of the types of lettuce that has delicate, spiky green leaves, along with a spicy flavor.
Oak Leaf lettuce comes in a number of different varieties, such as red and brown. All of these types of lettuce are loose leaf. This lettuce is great when used with salads and you can also combine them with many different types of salad dressing.
Lambs lettuce has dark green leaves and grows in groups of about 5 leaves; these are attached by way of the roots. You can use this lettuce to mix in salads or with other types of vegetables, but it is necessary to clean it carefully because you will often find dirt between the leaves.
One of the most popular types of lettuce is Romaine lettuce because of its crisp texture and the fact that you can use just about any type of salad dressing with this lettuce.
Mesclun lettuce is basically several different greens mixed together. These days, cultivators plant several different types of seeds together to produce this type of lettuce, which results in the lettuce having traits of several different types of lettuce.
Watercress is very popular for salads due to its pepper like flavor. Watercress can be found growing wild in the streams of Europe and North America, but it can also be grown as long as you have the right type of irrigation system. Watercress is a member of the mustard family so it can have a bold taste that becomes stronger the older the plant gets. If you want to use watercress you will want to harvest and use the leaves as soon as they are ready for the best flavor. Along with the leaves, you can also eat the stalks and roots of this lettuce.
Different types of lettuce not only taste and look different but also have different nutritional value. If you want to experiment with using different varieties of lettuce, you will also want to research the nutritional value of each type.