A change in the weather back to cool temperatures here may not be good for newly-planted tomatoes and melons, but it’s been just right for extending the spring salad season. Lettuce grows really well for us here, and so we plant many types, staggering the sowing so there’s always something ready. After growing up in an iceberg-only home (was there any other kind available in the grocery stores back then?), the seemingly-infinite number of varieties available is amazing … and of course I end up buying way more seeds than I can ever use. Some favorites: Blushed Butter Cos, Red Sails, Buttercrunch, and Olga Romaine.
Nonetheless, lettuce is just the start. At this time of year we’re still adding sorrel (but we’re getting to the end of that now, as it sends up its seed stalks), dandelion greens, salad burnet, spinach, violet leaves, chives, baby kale, and tossing in bits of oregano, thyme, lemon balm, whatever appeals at the moment. There’s lots more out there that could be used, of course, but a quick run through the garden in the morning provides plenty for the supper salad. With all those interesting flavors, there seems no need for anything beyond a tasty homemade dressing.
Looking ahead, as the weather gets back to summery steam, I’m now sowing more heat-resistant Batavian varieties of lettuce. They’ll go in a section of the veggie patch that gets some afternoon shade, and maybe we’ll put some row cover over them as well to help mitigate the heat. Batavians have thicker leaves and a different texture than the spring lettuces, and while I prefer the spring greens, we’re happy to have fresh-picked lettuce all summer long.
No comments:
Post a Comment