Home Lettuce - did you know...
Lettuce - did you know...

When you pop a leaf or two of lettuce on your plate, when you chop and mix lettuce or take it for a spin in your salad spinner how much do you really know about this vegetable?
Did you know…
• Ancient Egyptian tomb paintings depict different types of lettuce
• It is a member of the daisy and thistle family
• It was once served it at the end of a meal as it was believed to have sleep inducing properties- you may remember Peter Rabbit found Mr McGregor's lettuces had a soporific effect!
• Emperor Caesar Augustus built a statue praising lettuce as he believed eating it had cured him of an illness
• Lettuce was the first crop to be grown and eaten by the crew on the International Space Station...in 2015
• It is really good for you – a mug of the stuff (think chopped and gently filled not packed in) is one of your five a day and it is very low in calories (consider it a free food) and a good source of Vitamins A and C, some iodine and potassium, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium, iron and folic acid.
This stalwart of salads, the humble lettuce, is so often used as a ‘base’ and then mixed with other stuff to add other more 'interesting’ things and covered with dressing. Thus somewhere in the salad bowl lies an often overlooked yet wonderful plant. With varieties that cover many shapes, sizes, colours, textures, growth habits, seasons and indeed flavours: isn’t it time to see lettuce in a new light? There is no need to build a statue, just explore some of the many varieties...