Leafy VegetablesIntroduction Salad vegetables are

usually consumed raw (uncooked) and ______________with minimal preparation Lettuce Examples of other

salad vegetables Arugula Endive ______________

Leafy Vegetables Greens are consumed cooked

Spinach _________________ Kale and Collards

General characteristics of leafy vegetables Biennials – live for two years _________________ season Shallow-rooted Respond to nitrogen fertilizer

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)

Background Native to Europe and Asia First used for edible oil in its seed ________________ species are very bitter –

needed to select for less bitter forms Bitterness is associated with milky

latex that occurs when ________________ bolts

What is bolting?

Lettuce Bibb or

butterhead ___________ heads Inner leaves are

cream or yellow and ___________

Delicate sweet flavor

Lettuce Iceberg or

__________________ Most common

type of lettuce in salad bars and fast food

Extremely sensitive to heat

Leaves are thin and crisps

Lettuce ________ or Romaine

Upright head up to 10 inches tall

Forms an elongated ___________

Leaves are crisper than other heading types

Used in Cesar and Cos salads

Lettuce Leaf lettuce

Does not form a _______

Widely adapted Types can vary in leaf

______________, shape, and color

Can be harvested very young

Major component of mixed green salads

Lettuce: Culture Temperature

Extremely sensitive to ___________ temperatures

High temperatures cause: Seedstalk to form Internal tip _______________ of crisphead

types Stunted growth ____________ leaves

Moisture Have a _________________ root system

Lettuce: Harvesting

Leaf lettuce May be harvested when leaves are

large enough to use Butterhead and Cos types

Ready to harvest in ______ to ______ days

_____________________ types Harvest when heads are firm and full

Other Salad Vegetables Bitterness or _____________________ can

be a problem Ways to avoid:

Blanching Using less pungent ____________________ Harvest when temperatures are cool (i.e.

fall)

Arugula or Roquette (Eruca vesicaria var. Sativa)

Has enjoyed a surge in popularity

Used in mixed salads or as a cooked green

Characteristics ____________ season Closely related to

____________ Biting, pungent,

spicy flavor similar to ___________________

Too strong to be eaten alone

Endive (Cichorium endivia)

Background Native to eastern

portion of ________ and reached Mediterranean region by time of ancient Egyptians

Produce a blue flower

Endive Characteristics

Endive Loose, _______________, medium green, fringed, and curly

leaves Very pungent flavor

____________________ (Batavian endive) A selection of endive Broad, thick, smooth leaves with a white midrib Milder flavor than other endives

Cultivation Similar to _______ with best growth at 60 to 70 F

Less pungent if grown in fall Requires frequent watering

Endive

_____________________ Growing a plant part in the absence of _________ Makes the plant part less bitter How is endive blanched?

Gather leaves together and tie them together Inner leaves (hearts) become a __________ color

Harvesting Entire ____________ cut at base when leaves are

partly or wholly blanched Outer leaves are tough and bitter and are discarded

Chicory (Chicorium intybus) Introduction

Closely related to ______________

Native to ____________ and western Asia

Has naturalized along highways in US

Has a light blue flower

________________ but grown as a long season annual

Chicory Roasted roots

have been widely used as a _______________ substitute

Reduces bitterness of coffee

Chicory Witloof chicory

Traditionally forced indoors during winter to produce ________

______________ are planted in moist sand or peat moss and kept in the dark

Any light getting to the ______________ causes them to turn bitter

Chicory

Radicchio or leaf chicory Most common are

_____ or variegated, loosely wrapped, semiheading types

Grown ___________ similar to lettuce

___________ used in salads or can be grilled

Greens Were commonly consumed by our

ancestors Often were wild plants that emerged

early in the spring Examples

______________ Dandelion greens

Are generally consumed cooked

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea)

Background Native to western Asia First cultivated by Persians Spread to China by 7th century Reached Europe by 11th century

Plant characteristics Edible part of spinach is _____________ of

leaves ___________________ is produced in response to

long days and hot temperatures

Spinach Savoy

Crinkled leaf spinach Retains ___________

New Zealand Spinach (Tetragonia tetragonioides) A substitute for spinach Can grow in dry weather

and _______ temperatures

Chard or Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris Cicla group)

Background Type of beet that

was developed for its large, crisp leaves

Wild beet a common seaside plant in ___________, North Africa, and Asia

Leaves first first part of beets consumed

Chard Why grow chard?

Does not form a seedstalk in ___________ weather (unlike spinach)

Can use both leaf blades and leafstalks (petioles) Colorful ____________ ranging from white to yellow or

red Good flavor

Seed from early spring to midsummer Harvesting

Harvest leaves when they are small

Collard and Kale (Brassica oleracea Acephala group) Background

Originated in Western Europe

Characteristics Kale refers to a curly

leaf form of ______________

Collards are a nonheading form of cabbage

Forms a large _________ of blue-green leaves

Hardy _________ season vegetable

Collard and Kale

Cultivation Planting

May be ___________ or transplanted Tolerate summer heat Seed in midsummer for fall harvest

Usually gives best results Light ____________ improves mild-cabbage like

flavor

Collard and Kale

Harvest Can be harvested

by two methods: Entire young plant

can be cut off at the _________ and used

Individual ________ can be harvested throughout the season