Lettuce is a family of vegetables consisting of five varieties classified according to shape and growth. vitamin a and potassium are the most notable nutrients. The highest level of vitamin A is found in the darkest green varieties. The leafy green vegetable is used in salads, cooked vegetable dishes and on sandwiches. Lettuce should be washed and the leaves dried with paper towels, then sealed or wrapped securely in plastic and placed in the coolest part of the refrigerator for storage.
Lettuce varieties can be loosely categorized into four groups: crisphead, butterhead, leaf and romaine or cos. Each group has its own growth and taste characteristics.
Crisphead
Crisphead lettuce is probably the most familiar of the four. It is characterized by a tight, firm head of crisp, light-green leaves. Crisphead lettuce is generally intolerant of hot weather and will readily bolt or send up a flower stalk under hot summer conditions. However the varieties we use are resistant to bolting prematurely. iceberg lettuce has no fat and a water content of 96 per cent. It is high in fibre, vitamin C and foliates. It has one of the lowest kilojoule counts of any food , a whole head of lettuce contains a mere 85 kilojoules. The variety we grow gives outstanding uniformity of heads, head firmness is good, and has good colour with a crispy texture.
Butterhead
The butterhead types have smaller, softer heads of loosely folded leaves. The outer leaves may be green or brownish with cream or butter colored inner leaves. Some kinds are dark green and some are light colored or purple-red. When they are mature, their heads have creamy interiors. Butter Lettuce contains 45mg of Sodium and 2g of Protein per 85g.
Leaf lettuce
Leaf lettuce has an open growth and does not form a head. Leaf form and colour varies considerably--some cultivars are frilled and crinkled and others deeply lobed. Colour ranges from light green to red and bronze. Leaf lettuce matures quickly and is the easiest to grow. Frilly lettuce is an excellently flavoured Italian lettuce of the type used in salads and also in many other dishes as a tasty garnish. It is compact, non-hearting with a rosette of finely frilled leaves.
Romaine or Cos .
Romaine or cos lettuces form upright, cylindrical heads of tightly folded leaves. The outer leaves are medium green with greenish white inner leaves. Cos is the sweetest of the four types. Cos lettuce is thought to have originated in the eastern Mediterranean area and is believed to be the oldest cultivated lettuce. It is a tasty, succulent lettuce with an elongated head and dark green, long, narrow, crisp leaves. The interior leaves are paler in colour and have a more delicate 11 August 2009 Available
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Product Type:
Other
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Style:
Fresh
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Type:
Lettuce
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