Dainty Lettuces Replace Hearty Winter Greens at the Market

The sweet tender greens of spring are back at Mill Valley Market, where they come straight from Doug Canepa's farm in Glen Ellen. Gem lettuce and red butter lettuce make a crisp and excellent salad.

"Gems are firm and add great texture to a salad," says Canepa, who likes a simple green salad.

When the short window for Mill Valley Market's farm lettuce closes because it gets hot quickly up in Glen Ellen, Canepa sources from farms in cooler climes like Bolinas. Next up from Canepa's farm, expect to see basil, tomatoes, romano beans, squash and melons. 

The is also spilling over with fresh baby greens. I picked up a bag of sweet herb mix from J&M Ibarra farms to make a spring salad - see recipe below. 

Lettuce is actually a member of the sunflower family and originally developed from a weedy plant in Egypt where it was considered sacred and used in religious rituals. It was cultivated in ancient times for it's seeds and then transformed into the edible leafy plant we use it for mainly today. The Romans started the tradition of eating lettuce with hot oil which ultimately developed into modern day salads like the caesar salad which is made of romane, lemon juice, garlic, parmesan and other ingredients. Romane lettuce is one of the earliest cultivars of lettuce.

Today lettuce grows all over the world and prefers cool weather, though native plants grow from the Mediterranean to Siberia. There are three basic modern lettuces, head lettuce, loose-leaf lettuce and romaine or cos lettuce.

Lettuce can vary greatly in size, shape and color from dense pale colored iceberg lettuce to curly loose leafed lettuce. Colors run the gamut as well from deep greens, to red, even yellow and teal. Lettuce is a good source of vitamin A and potassium, especially the darker green lettuces. And it tastes so sweet after a winter of good-for-you but tough to chew winter greens. 

Spring Salad with Avocado Vinaigrette

Spring Salad:

• 5 cups baby greens or gem lettuce
• 1/4 cup shelled or chopped sweet peas
• 1/4 cup sliced radishes
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced or shredded carrot
• 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
• 1/8 cup chopped green onions

Avocado Vinaigrette:

• 2 medium garlic cloves
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced into quarters
• Dash cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 cup virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• Freshly ground black pepper

Add all ingredients except olive oil, zest and black pepper into a blender. Blend. Add olive oil in a steady stream until the dressing emulsifies. Transfer to a medium bowl. Fold zest in with a large spoon. Season with pepper.

* dressing recipe adapted from "Salad Dressings" by Jessica Strand.