Don’t get stuck in the same old salad routine.
Shake it up by tossing in some spectacular greens.
It suits nearly any occasion and can be simple or sophisticated, dressed up or down.
Lettuces are a subset of salad greens.
What are the best lettuces for salads?
There are three main types of lettuce: crisphead, butterhead and loose-leaf.
Crisphead lettucessuch as iceberg and romainegrow in very tightly clasped round heads.
Romaine lettuce grows in elongated heads.
Each leaf has a substantial rib running along the center.
Loose round rosettes of tender butterhead leaves take well to light dressings, such as a simple shallot-mustard vinaigrette.
Mildly flavored loose-leaf lettuces grow in open layers in very loosely formed heads and often have ruffly leaves.
Common loose-leaf lettuces are red and green oakleaf.
Toss up a mixture of lettuces and salad greens for a more interesting texture and flavor.
They add a spark of color to salads.
Butterhead Lettuce
These beautiful rosette-like heads have soft, buttery-textured leaves.
Common varieties include Boston, Bibb and buttercrunch.
Arugula
A quick-growing, peppery salad green that stars in most mesclun mixes.
Baby arugula has a more mellow flavor, and larger-leafed mature arugula is more intensely spicy.
Dandelion Greens
The leaves of this common “weed” contribute a pleasant bitterness to salads.
Some varieties have leaves with smooth edgesothers are jagged.
Puntarelle, a key in of chicory, has a similar taste and appearance.
Chicories
Chicories can be loose-leafed or in tight heads, tapered or round, smooth or frilly.
Colors range from white to pale yellow to all shades of green to wine red.
Common types include curly endive, frisee, escarole, Belgian endive and radicchio.
Belgian Endive
The broad, scoop-shaped leaves grow in tightly closed tapered heads.
There are both white/pale green and white/red varieties.
Choose loose-leaf lettuces that have crisp leaves with no signs of wilting.
Salad greens should have good color with no yellowing, wilting or brown spots.
We like to use asalad spinner: Separate the leaves of head lettuces and loose-leaf lettuces.
Soak greens for at least five minutes.
(Repeat if your greens are particularly dirty or sandy.)
Lift out the basket, discard the water and return the basket to the spinner.
Cover and spin the greens until dry.
Blot any remaining water with a kitchen towel.
How to Store Salad Greens
Store lettuces in a plastic bag in the crisper in the refrigerator.
Crisphead and romaine lettuces can be stored for up to one week.
More delicate butterhead and loose-leaf lettuces can be stored for up to five days.
Picking a beautiful salad from your backyard minutes before a meal is deeply satisfying.
Sow other types of lettuce and salad greens directly in the soil in early spring or fall.
Choose a site with loose, well-drained soil, enriched with compost, in sun to part shade.
Keep the soil moist, cool and free of weeds.
Harvest lettuces and salad greens when they reach the desired size.
Cut head lettuces about 1 inch above the lowest leaves.
Baby lettuce blends or mesclun can be cut with scissors about 1 inch above the lowest leaves.
