Cultivation of Lettuce Leaves Crisp, Green Trail

Lettuce in soup? The idea may take some getting used to, Lucy Wing wrote in an article in the current issue of Country Living, but cooking with summer greens is nothing new.

Lettuce was first cultivated by the ancient Egyptians, according to food historian and organic gardener William Woys Weaver. They perfected the lettuce now known as romaine, and this cultural know-how was passed to the Greeks and Romans, who were consuming lettuce as far back as the first century.

Of all the cooks in the world, Americans are the least likely to cook with salad greens. Perhaps it is time to put convention aside and consider alternative uses for these fresh, flavorful summer vegetables.

The age-old techniques of cooking lettuce and other greens is still employed in Europe today. The French often saute strips of lettuce with fresh peas, parsley and chives.

Small, pale heads of Belgian endive are either blanched, breaded and fried or braised and baked with a cream sauce. Lettuce, Swiss chard and spinach leaves are often wilted to wrap or encase foods.

In Italy, cooks sometimes boil chicories, such as radicchio and endive, in order to remove some of their bitterness and then fry or grill them with olive oil, garlic, pepper and vinegar or lemon juice. They also use greens to enhance soups.

Iceberg lettuce--the crisp, solid heads so many Americans shred and toss with tomatoes and cucumbers to make a quick dinner salad--is a good choice to simmer in light summer soups. Its high moisture content adds succulence to cooked dishes, while its crispness cools the spicy character of Asian-style hoisin chicken and Tex-Mex fare fired up with chile peppers.

Lettuces generally fall into two categories, “heading” types and loose-leaf types.

A host of lettuces is easy to cultivate in gardens, including such non-heading or salad-bowl varieties as the fast-growing, green-leaf black-seeded Simpson, red-tinged Lollo Rosso and Red Sails and the heat-resistant Oak Leaf. The shape of their leaves can range from deeply indented to curly, and colors run from brilliant green to bronze to red, adding interest and variety to summer menus.

Lettuce grows best at temperatures between 50 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. For head lettuce, cool temperatures and adequate moisture are necessary; warmer temperatures prevent proper head formation and can cause lettuce to bolt and taste bitter.

Lettuce seeds should be sown directly in early spring. Most grow best in full sun in cool weather and should be fertilized weekly with fish emulsion or monthly with slow-release fertilizer.

A separate garden should be created for hot-hued plants. If possible, the space should be enclosed with a hedge or fence.

Mache--also known as lamb’s lettuce and corn salad--is a quick-growing and cold-tolerant green that’s best harvested early, while the leaves are young and tender.

When once-tender beet-greens and spinach have reached maturity and are at the end of their harvest season in the summer, they make flavorful additions to any number of soups and stir-fries.