Harvest of the Month: Lettuce
Lettuce is a crop of varied stature. While it is thought to have first sprouted as a lowly weed around the Mediterranean Sea some 6,000 years ago, lettuce gained enough status as a source of good health that, around the first century AD, Augustus Caesar apparently built a statue to it. Today, lettuce is commonly praised as one of the healthiest vegetables humans can eat but is also often derided as “rabbit food” (a term apparently coined for it almost 100 years ago).
Regardless of its status, lettuce, in its countless varieties, is well-regarded for its positive nutritional punch, with an impressive batch of vitamin C, iron, and fiber … which could explain why the average American eats about 30 pounds of lettuce every year.
If you plan to make lettuce a part of dinner, you’ll usually get to choose between head lettuce and leaf lettuce. In both cases, choose lettuce that is crisp and brightly colored. Avoid lettuce that seems damaged or bruised, accepting that outside leaves sometime are a little battered, but the overall head should be healthy-looking.
While it will vary from one type to another, when properly stored, lettuce should stay fresh and crisp for 7 to 10 days, with head lettuce typically lasting longer than individual leaves. To store lettuce, keep it bunched as tightly as possible and wrap it in paper towels before placing it in the refrigerator.
Download April’s Recipe: Grilled Romaine with Chive-Buttermilk Dressing
Tags: food, Healthy Choices, recipe