I’ve been getting quite a few questions about the greens on my market table, all revolving around a common theme: What are those? So let’s take a deep-dive into greens today!
First up is the lettuce. I think part of the confusion here was my display last week, as I had several heads set tight together in a basket, making it difficult to differentiate one from another. Also, this variety has beautiful red-tinged leaves in a loose head, rather than the standard green, tighter heads commonly found in the grocery store. Called Marvel of Four Seasons (Merveille des Quatre Saisons in the original French), this heirloom butterhead lettuce is equally great on sandwiches and in salads, especially with warm bacon dressing (ask me for a recipe card at the market!).
Those tall, blue-green leaves with purple stems standing in a basket like a bouquet are actually kale! This unique heirloom, called Ragged Jack, has a milder flavor and more tender texture than many other varieties. I’ve been putting it in everything this spring: stir-fry, burritos, creamy quinoa, kale salad, chicken quinoa salad, and even egg salad. And I’ve heard from many people that it’s the best kale they’ve ever tasted! So even if you’re on the fence about kale, you might want to give this one a try.
At the Broadway Community Market tomorrow (8 a.m. to noon), in addition to kale and lettuce, I will have a few bunches of radishes and lots of sugar snap peas, as well as plants, garlic salt, and knitted and crocheted items.
See you at the market!