MILLARVILLE FARMERS' MARKET: Salad Greens Galore

Greens Galore: spinach, chard, mesclun mix, lettuce.

Red and Green Baby Lettuce

These are all cold tolerant greens that grow best first thing in the spring (which in our area is June!) Mesclun mix is a mixture of edible leaves. It varies with the seasons but in the spring is mostly made up of lettuce varieties, maybe spinach, arugula, mizuna, mustard greens all to create a kaleidoscope of colours, textures and flavours.

These greens are labour intensive to seed, harvest, wash and package. Particularly lettuce seed is very small and if it is to form heads later needs to be thinned. Small plants get pulled to create enough space for others to grow. These thinnings get added to mixes. Many other varieties are meant to grow just as leaves and are a cut and come again variety. The grower seeds in wide swaths and then cuts just above the ground to harvest when the leaves are about 3-4 inches tall. The plants then sprout another crop of leaves to cut a few weeks later. You can do this at home too in a small patch of soil in the garden or even in a planter. Watering with some dilute fish fertilizer after the first cut helps to grow a second batch. Cutting is done with scissors, a greens harvester or in mass scale fields like for Earthbound Farms a horizontal band pulled by a tractor.

Greens Harvester

Fresh spinach, spring chard, lettuce or mesclun mix right from the garden with a little grit still on it is so great! If you buy a bag of greens from the market it probably has been washed, but to get all the sand/soil/grit out fill your sink with clean cold water and dump in the greens. Swirl it around with your hand a few times and then walk away for 10 minutes. Pick out any grass or bugs that float up. Then, scoop out the leaves without disturbing the sand, grit etc that sank to the bottom. I put it into a salad spinner to dry it and then put it in a plastic bag with a paper towel to soak up any extra water. You can also roll it in a clean tea towel to dry. Store in the fridge and eat it all! Don’t add too much other stuff or a heavy dressing so that you can taste everything. A light toss with some olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper might be just right.

Mesclun mix and spring mix are interchangeable terms used to describe assorted mixed baby greens harvested at the seedling stage (3-4 weeks). Blends usually include 5-7 types of greens with a range of leaf sizes, colors, shapes and textures. Although leaf lettuces are often the primary component, most mixes also include non-lettuce greens (brassicas, herbs, and others) to add diversity in flavor and appearance. Mixes can be mild- or spicy-flavored, and can be harvested young for use in salads or older as "braising" mixes for stir-fries.

Brassica crops typically contribute spicy or pungent flavors, while the lettuces and Chenopodium crops are mild and sweet. Chicory family crops typically are slightly bitter, and herbs contribute different flavor profiles. Varieties are selected not only for flavor and leaf texture, but also for color. Red varieties that are well suited for mesclun production are those that develop good red color even under low light conditions. For cool-weather or winter production, use the most cold-hardy species such as spinach, Claytonia (Miner's Lettuce), arugula, kale, and other Brassicas

Varieties

Lettuces: Red Salad Bowl, Parris Island Cos, Rouge d'Hiver, Lolla Rossa, Tango, Red Sails, New Red Fire

Mizuna

Arugula

Brassica family: Tatsoi, Kyona/Mizuna, Komatsuna, Broccoli Raab, Tokyo Bekana, Scarlett Frill, Green Wave and other mustards (Brassica juncea), Red Russian Kale (Brassica napus), Cress (various species), Arugula/Rocket (Eruca sativa), Chinese Cabbage (Brassica Rapa), Broccoli Raab

Chenopodium family: Ruby Red Chard, Fordhook Giant Chard, Spinach (Space, Typee), Golden Beet, (Golden Chioggia, Red), Amaranth