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| Our mild salad mix contains 3 types of baby lettuce, beet greens, spinach, mizuna and baby kale. |
Summer is now nearly upon us. Here on
the farm the garden is growing and the area Farmer's Markets are in
full swing again. Some of our favorite veggies to grow are a variety
of different greens. We strive to have a wide selection of greens all
season long. We are in an ideal location for growing greens with our
higher elevation and cooler nights.
Do you know what all those different
greens are and what to do with them. Greens go way beyond just
lettuce and salads. They range from peppery to bitter to lemony and
you can use them in everything from omelets to soups to stir-fry.
Instead of just sticking to the familiar why not try something new?
I always love to try something new! Here is an overview
and description of some of the many types of greens there are with a
few ideas of how to use each and even links to recipes for a few of them. Many of these we grow here at Simple
Gifts Farm throughout the season.
Not only are greens delicious,
colorful, and versatile they are among some of the healthiest foods
there are.
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| Colorful lettuce displayed at the Farmer's Market |
Lettuce- There are so many different
types of lettuce, it is hard to know where to start. Of course there
are the standard Romaine, Red and Green Leaf varieties. Some of my
other favorites includes Red and Green Butterhead which has a smooth,
tender texture, Red Oakleaf, which adds great color and variety to
salads, and a unique speckled variety called Flashy Trout's Back.
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| A bed of spinach |
Spinach- Round to oval, dark green
leaves. Delicious used both as baby leaves or full size. Spinach has
a mild, sweet flavor. It is one of the most well known and also
versatile greens. You can't beat a spinach salad but it is also
excellent in lasagna, quiche, as a pizza topping, or with garlic scapes made into pesto.
Beet Greens- Beet greens make a
colorful addition to salad mix. They are also delicious lightly
sauteed with some butter or olive oil. The flavor is mild and
slightly salty. My two favorite varieties for greens are Bull's Blood
which has lovely deep red leaves and Early Wonder Tall Top which is
fast growing with bright green leaves and red veins.
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| Frilly red and green mustard greens |
Mustard Greens- Spicy with a
horseradish type flavor, mustard greens come in a variety of colors
and shapes. The traditional variety is bright green with large
somewhat serrated leaves. I love the frilly bright green and deep red
varieties in a salad. They add so much color and texture with a nice
burst of flavor.
Arugula- I love Arugula. It has a
delightful peppery and nutty flavor that goes well with fruit and
cheese. I think the flavor is best in autumn grown Arugula, it tends
to be milder and sweeter at that time of year. I enjoy arugula mixed
with other salad greens but it also makes a delicious salad on its
own. Other ways I enjoy using it is in pesto or on pizza.
Mizuna- An Asian green that has deeply
serrated leaves and comes in both green and purple varieties. The
flavor is a bit like mustard greens, but without the heat. I mostly
use it in salads, but it can also be cooked in stir-fry or soup.
Collard Greens- Traditionally grown and
used in the south and something I had never had until we began
growing it, Collards are another delicious green. Similar in flavor
and texture to kale except with smooth round leaves. It can be used
in many of the same ways as kale. In the South it is also
traditionally cooked with salted and smoked meats. The round leaves
also make great wraps.
Swiss Chard- One of the prettiest and
most colorful greens, Swiss chard has large savoyed leaves with thick
stalks that range from white, yellow, pink, and red. I like to use it
in soup, sauteed, steamed, or even in stir-fry. The flavor is mild,
sweet, and a bit salty.
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| Kale and Cabbage make a nice autumn salad |
Kale- Kale has been all the rage lately
and with good reason. It is healthy, delicious and versatile. There
are several varieties of kale to choose from. There is the standard
green curly type, the flat serrated Russian types, the wrinkled
dinosaur types and even a beautiful purple curly type that we have
enjoyed growing. Certain types are best suited for different purposes
but they can also be used interchangeably. I especially like the Red
Russian as baby kale in our salad mix; it is very tender, sweet and
mild at that stage. The larger curly and dinosaur types are excellent
sauteed, in soups, in smoothies, or one of my favorites made into
kale chips.
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| Baby Bok Choy |
Bok Choy- Very popular in Asian stir
fries. Bok Choy grows in a vase shaped head. It has thick crunchy
white or light green stalks with darker green rounded leaves. The
flavor is mildly mustardy with a little sweetness.
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| Fresh lemony sorrel is one of the first greens in the spring |
Sorrel- Sometimes called Lemon Sorrel
or French Sorrel. I remember this one from when I was a little girl,
my Dad had some growing in the garden. It is a perennial so it comes
back in early spring every year. It was always fun to snack on it
whenever we were outside. It has long slender bright green leaves. It
bolts or sends of flower stalks very easily/early but it doesn't seem
to affect the flavor, I just break them off and it continues to grow.
The flavor is tart and lemony. It makes a nice addition to salads and
also can be used with fish.
Endive, Escarole, Radicchio- I am
going to lump these three all together. They are all in the chicory
family and all have at least a somewhat bitter flavor. I have not had
as much success growing these greens and personally do not care for
the bitterness.
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| Our spicy salad mix contains 3 types of lettuce, arugula, 3 types of mustard greens, and wrinkled crinkled cress |
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