The Lettuce is a hardy annual, introduced or cultivated in England since 1562, but from what country is unknown. The use of Lettuce, as a cooling and agreeable salad, is well known; it is also a useful ingredient in soups. It contains, like the other species of this genus, a quantity of opium juice, of a milky nature, from which of late years, medicine has been prepared under the title of Lactucarium, and which can be administered with effect in cases where opium is inadmissable…” -- 1848 Landreth Catalogue
Lettuce is one of the oldest vegetables known to civilized man. The Persian kings served it at their royal tables and this practice was described in 550 B.C. by Herodotus. The earliest cultivars probably originated in the eastern Mediterranean from a wild species, Lactuca serriola, which produced leaves on tall stems similar to the seed stalks produced today when lettuce bolts. The lettuce genus name, Latuca, refers to the milky sap mentioned above. The Assyrians and the Egyptians believed that this sap had aphrodisiacal properties. The Greeks believed just the opposite crediting lettuce with inducing male impotence. The Romans are believed to have found and discovered a type of heading lettuce which produced erect leaves. The Romans had discovered this lettuce growing on the Greek island of Cos. This lettuce became so popular in Rome that it was known as Romaine, named for the Eternal City. Today, many of the most popular varieties of Romaine Lettuce, bear names like Parris Island Cos and Parris White Cos after the island of their origination.
The Romans were the first to institutionalize a “lettuce course” into their main meal. The Roman elite served a lettuce salad as an appetizer before the first course. The Romans ate lettuce raw only when it was very young. Usually it was poached and served with an oil and vinegar dressing. Poaching was done almost exclusively with the Romaine lettuce types. With other varieties of lettuce, the oil and vinegar dressing was heated and poured over the raw lettuce.
There are four types of lettuce: head lettuce, butterhead lettuce, leaf lettuce and romaine lettuce. Head lettuce forms a tight round head. The most famous and most maligned variety of head lettuce is Iceberg. Butterhead lettuce forms a loose head with flat, thick leaves that often appear oily. The Boston lettuces are well known butterheads. Leaf lettuces come in all sizes, shapes and colors. They are also known as cutting lettuces because they will often regrow when cut. One of the best known vegetables of all time is the leaf lettuce, Black Seeded Simpson. The fourth type of lettuce, the Romaine or Cos lettuces, form tall tight heads. Parris Island Cos is perhaps the best known variety of Romaine lettuce available today.
Lettuce is extremely easy and quick to cultivate. With the growing concern over the integrity of our food supply, producing your own lettuce is making more and more sense. With the exception of some head varieties, all lettuces can be easily cultivated in pots, thus minimizing the ubiquitous problems with deer and other animal pests.
Lettuce prefers cool temperatures, but most varieties cannot tolerate frost. The plants like well drained, but frequently watered soil. In warmer climates lettuce should be grown in partial shade. I feel that lettuce does best when it is direct sown, not started indoors and transplanted. Lettuce crops should be grown in succession, planting a new crop every 2-3 weeks. Seed should be sprinkled over the surface and lightly covered with ¼ inch of soil and then dampened.
For Our Container/Urban Gardeners
Landreth sells 37 different varieties of lettuce and with the exception of Iceberg, Great Lakes and Summertime, the three head lettuces, we have successfully grown all of them in small containers which we call lettuce bowls. Our lettuce bowls are 10 inch round, 5 inch deep plastic containers which allow 5-7 plants to grow and thrive. We also have an oblong lettuce bowl which is approximately 15 inches long by 4 inches wide by 5 inches deep.
All of the varieties which we discuss in this article can be easily grown in the garden as well as a container. Each year I am going to discuss several lettuce varieties, so I am going to limit this article to a discussion of 8 lettuce varieties. It is not easy to choose which varieties to discuss, because I love most of the lettuces that we sell and we grow all the varietes each year, but I promise you, the ones I skip this year I will discuss in subsequent years.
Favorite Butterhead Varieties
Yugoslavian Red
This is one of the most beautiful lettuces I have ever seen. The outer leaves can be a deep burgundy while the inner leaves are chartreuse tipped with burgundy. This lettuce does well in hot weather.
Mervielle Des Quatre Saisons
This magnificent butterhead is an exquisite French heirloom introduced before 1885. The pale green heart is surrounded by brilliant burgundy red outer leaves. The heads are 6-10 inches and hold their flavor well in heat, but will bolt.
Favorite Leaf Lettuces
Australian Yellowleaf
The chartreuse color of this lettuce is so striking that once you have grown it you will be able to pick out the variety even in a bowl full of green lettuce. This is an Australian heirloom which has large leaves that are frilled and blistered. It has mild flavor, tender texture and is quite slow to bolt.
Red Oakleaf
The distinctive leaf shape of the oakleaf lettuces, somewhat reminiscent of a skinny oak leaf, is combined with striking deep burgundy color. This very heat resistant variety is one of the longest standing lettuces in the garden.
Favorite Romaines
When grown in containers, the Romaine lettuces are best harvested young as baby Romaine. In a container, these lettuce varieties rarely form heads, but they produce abundant amounts of baby Romaine lettuce leaves.
Parris White Cos
This is one of the oldest and most popular lettuce varietes. It was once known as Romaine Blonde Marachiere and was introduced before 1868. It is probably the Romaine that you find in the grocery store. The conical, very light green heads have excellent flavor.
Red Romaine
This is one of my favorites (you will find that I say this about a lot of lettuce varieties). This very exotic looking lettuce has green leaves tipped with a marvelous red color. It is a beautiful lettuce.
For Our Gardening Children
Remember that children need easy, colorful vegetables which hopefully have a great story to tell. Many lettuces fit this criteria, but two of my favorites are the Tennis Ball butterhead lettuce and Baby Oakleaf.
Tennis Ball
This butterhead lettuce is an American heirloom from the early 19th century, 
before 1804. It has been documented that Thomas Jefferson grew this lettuce at Monticello. In the 17th and 18th centuries, this variety was preserved in a salt brine (pickled) and kept throughout the winter. The tiny light green, 7 inch heads are just the right size for little hands to harvest. This variety is very, very cold hardy, but quick to bolt in hot weather.
before 1804. It has been documented that Thomas Jefferson grew this lettuce at Monticello. In the 17th and 18th centuries, this variety was preserved in a salt brine (pickled) and kept throughout the winter. The tiny light green, 7 inch heads are just the right size for little hands to harvest. This variety is very, very cold hardy, but quick to bolt in hot weather.Baby Oakleaf
This lettuce is produces almost as quickly as radish. Within month from planting little fingers can start to cut the tiny oakleaf sprouts. The dwarf, compact plants are quite slow to bolt and possess incredible flavor. This is an easy to grow plant with almost guaranteed success.
Lettuce is a crop that we can all grow. It loves being in a container, a small urban garden or a sprawling farmer’s garden. As human beings we have loved this vegetable for many, many centuries and we have given it a pace of honor in our daily main meal for more than 2500 years. Try some lettuce varieties this year. I know that you will be pleased that you did.
Next Issue of the Newsletter: Try These Heirloom Tomatoes
Monday, March 26, 2007
The Lovely Lettuce Family
