Varieties of Salads
When planning your vegetable garden, consider what kind of foods you want to grow in it. If you love salads, there are a number salad greens that you can grow. Salad plants are easy to grow, and they also do well in shaded areas of your garden, freeing up sunnier locations for more light-dependent plants. Choose a salad green that suits your palate and the kind of salads that you want to make. Does this Spark an idea?
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Romaine
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Romaine lettuce is also known as cos lettuce. It has a large loose head with stiff leaves. A thick center vein gives this lettuce a crisp texture while also giving it a slight bitter taste. The dark green leaves provide you with plenty of potassium and carotenoids. Romaine lettuce can be used as the basis for a rich Caesar salad. Harvest romaine lettuce by peeling off the outside leaves, digging up the whole plant or cutting the head off at the stalk.
Arugula
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Arugula is also known as rocket, rugola and roquette, and is a part of the mustard family. It has soft, feathery leaves that leave a peppery taste in the mouth. It lacks the bitter taste that some members of the mustard family have, and pairs beautifully with Parmesan cheese or a pesto sauce. Use it as the base of a salad or as an additional salad green for salads where a milder flavor is preferred. Arugula prefers a rich soil that has a pH between 6 and 6.8, though it thrives in a variety of conditions.
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Mizuna
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Mizuna is a Japanese salad green that is also known as kyona and California peppergrass. It has a very pungent flavor, and is best enjoyed in a salad of mixed greens where its taste will not be overpowering. The leaves feature jagged edges, which add some visual variety to your salad. Mizuna can also be enjoyed in soups; the plant's leaves are shredded and added to the broth at the end of cooking. Grow mizuna in a highly fertile soil with a pH that is between 6 and 7.5.
Lamb's Lettuce
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Lamb's lettuce is also called corn salad, and there are roughly 30 varieties of this type of lettuce to choose from. All varieties have small leaves resemble watercress and a slightly nutty flavor. If you want a sweeter taste, choose the freshest leaves for your salad. Plant lamb's lettuce seeds as early as possible, as they need a long growing period.
Lollo Rosso
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Lollo rosso is a green lettuce with an intense rosy red color at its edges. The leaves themselves are deeply curled with ruffled edges, providing a crisp crunch to salads. It has a mild taste, so pair it with spicier lettuces to enhance its flavor. The red leaves add a bright splash of colors to a salad as well. Lollo rosso can be planted with 18 inches between the rows, as opposed to other varieties which require at least 24 inches between rows.
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- Photo Credit Lettuce Varieties image by marilyn barbone from Fotolia.com
