Gardening : Home-Grown Salad Greens for Gourmet Touch

So-called gourmet or specialty salad greens, such as arugula, radicchio, mache, escarole and others, have soared in popularity in recent years. Their success is due partly to their extensive use by upscale restaurants, and partly because adventuresome cooks have sampled them and discovered that they transformed an otherwise mundane salad into a culinary delight. Many of these greens will add pizazz to even the blandest of salads.

We asked Renee Shepherd, owner of Shepherd’s Garden Seeds in Felton, Calif., about these gourmet greens. Shepherd’s seed company supplies seeds for home gardeners and for specialty growers who provide the greens for upscale restaurants throughout the country. She was the recipient of the 1991 American Institute of Wine and Food “Achievement Award for Agriculture.” In addition, she is an accomplished cook who has written two popular cookbooks.

Shepherd says that gourmet or specialty greens add other flavors, colors and textures to salads. Some are used to complement lettuce, while others provide an alternative to lettuce.

According to Shepherd, the gourmet greens are easy for the home gardener to grow and they are cool-season plants that grow to perfection in Southern California during our fall, winter and early spring. They are especially easy to grow and productive when grown in containers.

Shepherd says that, while in this country people consider these specialty greens to be gourmet, in Europe they are considered staples. Europeans tend to savor their salads composed of multi-greens with multi-flavors. In the United States we have a long tradition of head-lettuce salads, drenched in heavy dressings that disguise the bland flavor of the lettuce.

As these gourmet greens are becoming more available at supermarkets and specialty produce shops, Shepherd was asked: “Why not just buy these greens rather than grow them?”

Shepherd listed four reasons. First, by growing your own, you can harvest them at their prime stage while they are young and tender; supermarkets tend to stock overmature greens with strong flavors. Second, supermarkets usually carry varieties that are better suited for shipping than for flavor. Third, these greens are expensive at the market yet they are easy to grow. Fourth, not all of these greens are available at markets, and to sample those not available, you have to grow them youself.

Shepherd gave a rundown of some of the more popular gourmet greens.

ARUGULA The leaves of arugula have a unique peppery, yet sweet tang. In salads, arugula provides the same punch as green onions, but without their aftertaste.

Shepherd says arugula is almost foolproof to grow. Seeds should be sown in succession for a continuous crop. The plants grow quickly and the notched leaves are ready for harvest when they are two or three inches long.

RADICCHIO “When in combination with lettuce, radicchio’s unique tangy flavor, combined with its beautiful, rich red coloration turns a salad into a visual as well as gustatory delight,” Shepherd said.

According to Shepherd, radicchio used to be a difficult green to grow because the plants had to be cut back to force a head. However, the newer varieties will produce a head without being cut back.

Shepherd especially recommends a new variety called Rossana that is easy for home gardeners to grow.

MACHE Mache produces rounded leaves that grow into small rosettes. The leaves are soft and taste buttery.

Shepherd says mache is particularly esteemed in France where it is often used as an individual green mixed with hazelnut oil, shredded beets and sieved hard-boiled eggs.

Also called lamb’s lettuce or corn salad, mache is strictly a cool weather green that should be grown in fall or winter here.

CURLY ENDIVE A green that produces light green, finely cut, lacy leaves, delicate, crispy ribs and creamy hearts. It is considered an essential in salads throughout Europe, especially in France where it is called frisee .

Shepherd says, “Don’t compare the tough, bitter specimens of curly endive you encounter at the supermarkets to the delicious crunchy texture and mild and nutty flavor you will enjoy with varieties designed for the home garden.”

ESCAROLE Escarole is a luxuriant plant that produces a big head with large outer leaves folded around a closely bunched heart. If grown during cool weather, the leaves are tender, crispy and succulent.

Shepherd says that in much of Europe, escarole is used as a main salad green, an alternative to lettuce.

MIZUNA Mizuna comes from Japan. It is a handsome green with dark green leaves and narrow, white stalks.

Shepherd says mizuna is a mild and delicate-tasting Oriental green. It blends well and accents all other salad plants. The plants grow quickly and easily and the individual leaves can be harvested when young.

MESCLUM

According to Shepherd, mesclum is not an individual green but a salad concept. Mesclum is a French term given to the mixture of specialty greens with tender young lettuces.

A seed mixture of greens and lettuces is planted at the same time, cut while very young and mixed together in various blends. Shepherd sells several mesclum mixes that she says are particularly good for growing in containers.

PREPARING A GOURMET SALAD When combining these various specialty greens with lettuce to make a gourmet salad, Shepherd says, you don’t want to overwhelm their unique and interesting flavors, colors and textures with heavy, fat-laden dressings.

Shepherd suggests a simple, light vinaigrette dressing. Here is one of her favorites:

SHEPHERD’S SALAD DRESSING

1/2 cup Shepherd’s Ponente Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or another top-quality light olive oil)

1/4 cup Shepherd’s Perseus Raspberry Vinegar (or another very fruity and not too tart raspberry vinegar)

1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 to 1 clove fresh garlic, as you like

Combine all ingredients and shake to blend in glass jar or whisk together thoroughly by hand. Before using, remove garlic clove.

Dresses a salad for 6 to 8.

Seeds for the gourmet greens mentioned here are available from Shepherd’s Garden Seeds, 6116 Highway 9, Felton, Calif. 95018. The seed catalogue costs $1; in addition to extensive vegetable and flower seed listings, it contains recipes and garden tips.