A green salad is not so easy to find these days. That's kind
of ironic since the pricey salad mixes being marketed now are the salads
Europeans have enjoyed for years and brought with them when them immigrated,
only to see them replaced in favor by a head of iceburg. But, the
market has once again discovered there are other "salad greens" and some
of them aren't green at all.
Of course, salad ingredients shouldn't be picked on color alone. Let's face it, lettuces don't vary all that much in flavor. Some are a little sweeter and some a little more tart, but the true diferential in lettuce is not the color, but the the texture. Many people will still only eat the iceburg lettuce they grew up on. They like the crisp, chunky head lettuce look and feel. Others have branched out and tried the buttercrunch varieties. They still form somewhat of a head, but have a softer, more tender texture and a more delicate flavor. For a brief description of the different types of lettuces read "Fine Cooking's" Salad Greens Bring Spring Freshness to Your Kitchen. Grow Your Own Salad Greens, from the University of Wisconsin and Lettuce and Other Salad Greens, from the University of Nebraska, go a bit further and discuss other "green" options. There's even information on Growing Lettuce on the High Desert, from Colorada States's Cooperative Extention.
But the bottom line is, you can't really know your preference until you've tried a few different kinds. And if you're going to do that, why stop at lettuce? Why not fill your salad bowl with all kinds of interesting flavors, textures and colors as well as a variety of nutrients that come as a bonus for eating something so fresh? How about including some of these greens in your salad garden.
Rocket (Eruca sativa), also known as arugula or roquette is in most mesclun mixes. It's a bit tart and spicy, being in the mustard family, and adds a nice bite. It's also easy to grow in cool weather, because it likes to grow quickly, and should be picked while young. "Meadow rocket" (rucola selvatica) is an easy growing variety from Greece.
Mesclun, by the way, is a Provencal term for a mixture of greens. In Italy they have something very similar called misticanza. In Europe they are more exact in their combinations and tend to use more of the spicy and peppery varieties. In America the mixes are still
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