
Several different species in the Valerianella genus are known as lamb's lettuce, and there are many alternate names for this green, which can add to consumer confusion. It is also sometimes called field or corn salad, in a reference to the fact that it often grows wild in cultivated fields.
What is the healthiest type of lettuce to eat?
The Healthiest Types of Lettuce and Leafy Greens — Ranked by Nutrition
- Best Lettuce: Watercress. The best green to eat is watercress, which may be the closest thing yet to an anti-aging food. ...
- Chinese Cabbage. Nutrition Score: 91.99 Taking the silver medal in the best leafy greens challenge is Chinese cabbage, also called Napa or celery cabbage.
- Chard. ...
- Beet Greens. ...
- Spinach. ...
- Chicory. ...
- Leaf Lettuce. ...
- Parsley. ...
- Romaine Lettuce. ...
What are the health benefits of eating lettuce?
Uses of Romaine Lettuce
- It can be juiced to produce a nutrient-rich drink, and can also be added to soups and other hot dishes. [12]
- Unlike many forms of lettuce, Romaine is notably resistant to heat and doesn’t become overly soggy or limp. ...
- Romaine lettuce is also used in taco salad, Cobb salad, and avocado salad wraps.
How to grow lambs lettuce?
Varieties of Mâche
- 'Bistro' and ‘Piedmont' are large-seeded varieties that don't fade quickly in the heat.
- ‘Verte d'Etampes' is a small-seeded variety with thick leaves that help give it a longer season
- ‘Verte De Cambrai’ is a willing self-sower that should come back year after year.
Why is butter lettuce so good?
Why Is My Lettuce Bitter And What Can I Do To Stop It?
- Harvest Early In The Morning. Red and green lettuce growing in the summer garden. ...
- Harvest Younger Leaves. Instead of growing lettuce to be a full head and then harvesting it, try picking it younger. ...
- Provide Shade. If you are growing lettuce through the summer it’s very important to provide shade. ...
- Water Often And Mulch. ...
- Fertilize. ...
- Grow The Right Varieties. ...
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How did Lambs lettuce get its name?
Sometimes known as Corn Salad, lamb's lettuce has long spoon-shaped dark leaves and a distinctive, tangy flavour. It is used raw in salads as well as steamed and served as a vegetable. The unusual name reputedly comes from the lettuce's resemblance to the size and shape of a lamb's tongue.
Is lamb's lettuce actually a lettuce?
lamb's lettuce, (Valerianella locusta), also called Lewiston corn salad or mâche, weedy plant of the family Caprifoliaceae, native to southern Europe but widespread in grainfields in Europe and North America. It has been used locally as a salad green and as an herb with a nutty tangy flavour.
What is lambs lettuce called in USA?
Lamb's lettuce is grown in France, Holland and the United States and is also known as Corn Salad, Field Salad, Field Lettuce, Lamb's Tongue or Mâche. It is often found growing wild in fields. Lamb's lettuce is available throughout the year in gourmet produce shops.
What is lambs ear lettuce?
Valerianella locusta, called mâche or mache; common cornsalad; or lamb's lettuce, is a small, herbaceous, annual flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. It is native to Europe, western Asia and north Africa, where it is eaten as a leaf vegetable. Valerianella locusta.
What is lamb's lettuce called in Australia?
Corn SaladGrowing Corn Salad (Lamb's lettuce or Mache) in Australia - temperate climate.
Is Watercress the same as lambs lettuce?
It's a two-in-one vegetable: the leaves have the velvety floppiness of lamb's lettuce, while the stalks have the snap of beansprouts. To salads, a tangle of watercress lends a blast of deepest green taste and bouncy volume. It makes sandwiches (rare roast beef, egg mayonnaise) lively and fresh.
Is Lambs lettuce the same as spinach?
Where raw spinach is slightly astringent and coarse, Lamb's Lettuce is nutty and velvety. The two balance each other out nicely in a salad, and the addition of bright purple cabbage lends an added boost of color and antioxidants.
Is Lambs lettuce healthy?
Lamb's lettuce is rich in beta-carotene, an antioxidant that turns into vitamin A in the body. This vitamin plays a role in iron metabolism, immune system health, growth, eyesight, and good skin health.
What is a substitute for lamb's lettuce?
Also known as Lamb's Lettuce, mâche lettuce is a delicate and tender lettuce that has a tangy, nutty flavour. It comes in small clusters, with smooth, green leaves, and makes a great substitute for either arugula or baby spinach in salad dishes.
What family is lambs lettuce?
Honeysuckle familyCorn salad / FamilyThe Caprifoliaceae or honeysuckle family is a clade of dicotyledonous flowering plants consisting of about 860 species in 42 genera, with a nearly cosmopolitan distribution. Centres of diversity are found in eastern North America and eastern Asia, while they are absent in tropical and southern Africa. Wikipedia
Where does lamb lettuce grow?
Where to grow lambs' lettuce. You can grow lambs' lettuce in open soil, pots or raised beds, and it works well as a 'catch crop' too – simply scatter seeds on the surface of the soil where other crops have been cleared.
Does lambs lettuce self seed?
Short version: A slow growing, winter hardy salad that grows in short rosettes and happily self-seeds. It can be sown direct into most soils but also does well in pots on balconies and rooftops.
What is the name of the French salad?
Common names include corn salad, common cornsalad, lamb's lettuce, mâche ( / mɑːʃ / ), fetticus, feldsalat, nut lettuce, field salad. In restaurants that feature French cooking, it may be called doucette or raiponce, as an alternative to mâche, by which it is best known.
Who invented corn salad?
History. Corn salad was originally foraged by European peasants. Jean-Baptiste de La Quintinie, royal gardener of King Louis XIV, introduced it to kitchen gardening. It has been eaten in Britain for centuries and appears in John Gerard 's Herbal of 1597.
Where does corn salad grow?
Distribution and habitat. Corn salad grows wild in parts of Europe, northern Africa and western Asia. In Europe and Asia it is a common weed in cultivated land and waste spaces. In North America it has escaped cultivation and become naturalized on both the eastern and western seaboards.
What is a locusta plant?
Valerianella locusta illustration by Thomé (1885) showing the plant, flower, and seed. Valerianella locusta is a small annual plant that is eaten as a leaf vegetable. It has a characteristic nutty flavour, dark green colour, and soft texture, and is popularly served as salad greens.
What is Devil's lettuce?
There is a plant that is commonly referred to as “devil’s lettuce” that has little or nothing to do with cannabis at all. Amsinckia tessellata is known by the common names “bristly fiddleneck,” “tesselate fiddleneck,” and “devil’s lettuce.”.
What was the nickname for the Devil's Harvest?
Another nickname that was assigned to cannabis at this time was “jazz cabbage.”. It’s possible that “devil’s lettuce” was thus a slightly altered hybrid of “devil’s harvest” and “jazz cabbage.”. This new and indescribably appealing musical genre, which was led by notable Black musicians, was also villainized by the American public at this time.
Prepare it
Be sure to wash and drain lamb’s lettuce thoroughly before using as, like spinach, it can be quite grainy and gritty.
Store it
It is quickly perishable and should be used within two days of purchase. Store in an airtight plastic bag in the fridge.
Cook it
As a main ingredient in salads or cooked and served as a side vegetable.

Overview
Valerianella locusta, called mâche or mache; common cornsalad; or lamb's lettuce, is a small, herbaceous, annual flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. It is native to Europe, western Asia and north Africa, where it is eaten as a leaf vegetable.
Description
Cornsalad grows in a low rosette with spatulate leaves up to 15.2 cm long. It is a hardy plant that grows to zone 5, and in mild climates it is grown as a winter green.
In warm conditions it tends to bolt to seed, producing much-branched stems with clusters (cymes) of flowers. The flowers have a bluish-white corolla of fiv…
Distribution and habitat
Cornsalad grows wild in parts of Europe, northern Africa and western Asia. In Europe and Asia it is a common weed in cultivated land and waste spaces. In North America it has escaped cultivation and become naturalized on both the eastern and western seaboards.
As a cultivated crop, it is a specialty of the region around Nantes, France, whic…
History
Cornsalad was originally foraged by European peasants. Jean-Baptiste de La Quintinie, royal gardener of King Louis XIV, introduced it to kitchen gardening. It has been eaten in Britain for centuries and appears in John Gerard's Herbal of 1597. It was grown commercially in London from the late 18th or early 19th century and appeared on markets as a winter vegetable, but it only became available in modern supermarkets there in the 1980s. American president Thomas Jeffe…
Common names
Common names include lamb's lettuce, common cornsalad, or simply cornsalad, mâche (/mɑːʃ/), fetticus, feldsalat, nut lettuce, field salad. The common name 'cornsalad' refers to the fact that it often grows as a weed in cornfields, ('corn' is used in the sense of 'cereal', not the US meaning of maize).
In German-speaking Switzerland it is known as Nüsslisalat or Nüssler, terms th…
Sources
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Ward, Artemas (1911). "[no title cited]". The Grocer's Encyclopedia.