If you enjoy salads with a bit more flavour, texture and interest than a bowl of ordinary lettuce leaves, this collection is for you.
Packed with crunchy stems, peppery bites, nutty flavours and wonderfully productive leafy greens, these varieties are easy to grow and endlessly useful in the kitchen. A collection for growers who enjoy trying new flavours and building salads that actually feel exciting to eat.
Celtuce – easy to grow and very productive, happy in heat or showers. It is excellent in salads, slice the stem thinly, like cucumber, or spiralize. Simply chop the leaves. Pair perfectly with peas, endive, sunflower seeds and chicken. Try with a drizzle of light soy. This is probably the best vegetable you're not growing and eating!
Namenia – sweet with a faint pepper flavour, this is a lovely productive salad leaf. Try it with chicken, bacon or tuna and salty or crumbly cheese. Lemon or balsamic vinegar as dressing while fresh basil, parsley, and thyme complement the sweet greens
Corn Salad D’Orlanda – a large leafed Italian variety with a subtle nutty flavour, it pairs beautifully with sweet, nutty, and savory ingredients. Think along the lines of crumbled blue cheese, bacon, anchovies or a simple lemon drizzle to start you off with some ideas.
Purslane, Summer Mix – crisp and juicy leaves have a tangy, slightly salty, with a subtle lemony tone. Amazingly this is tarter in the morning and sweeter later in the day after the sun has helped the plant produce more natural sugars! Try it with ripe tomatoes, cucumbers or radishes, plus a squeeze of lemon juice. Pair it with creamy cheese, new potatoes or eggs (omelette or frittata). Grow and explore this unassuming leafy green.
Magentaspreen – this mild flavoured leaf can add a nutty crunch to your salads, picking can start when your plants reach 10cm tall. It works well with the flavours of tomatoes, fennel, dill, onion, goats cheese, feta sliced eggs and more. As a dressing think of lemon, sesame or olive oil
A brilliant way to discover just how good homegrown leaves can be.
