Lettuce

Lactuca sativa

leaf · vegetable

Tender leaves, in a more or less closed head, eaten mostly raw in salads, but also braised or in soups; its name comes from the Latin lac, milk, for the white latex of its cut stems. It provides folate and lutein.

Origin

Mediterranean basin

Season (United States)

April to October · grows in your region

Preparation

The outer leaves, greener, are also the richest: only the damaged ones are removed. It grows at ground level and catches the splashes of watering: washing it leaf by leaf, in plenty of water, beats a quick rinse of the whole bunch.

Molecules

Lutein and zeaxanthin · Vegetable nitrates · Folates (B9) · Vitamin K1 · ChlorophyllIn small amounts, not counted Flavonols (quercetin) · Beta-carotene (vitamin A)

Did you know?

Theophrastus already described four kinds in the 4th century BC; in France, it is said to have arrived with the Avignon popes.