Lambs Lettuce

  Lamb’s lettuce (corn lettuce) has its origins as a weed which was found growing among cereal crops in Europe.  It grows quite slowly (unlike most weeds on that point!) and you need a lot of plants to get a reasonable crop.  Nevertheless, it provides a source of fresh food when little else is available at the allotment.     An early autumn sowing can yield plentiful supplies of many salad leaves. However, two things happen to most of types of lettuce varieties as winter progresses:

1. The leaves toughen up as the weather turns harsher, giving them a less pleasant texture
2. The more flavourful leaves (most of the oriental types) become hotter and more peppery in taste

The reason lamb’s lettuce is so valuable is that it doesn’t suffer from these problems.  As it is able to continue slow growth through low temperatures the leaves remain succulent with a slight waxy texture to them which may be what protects them from the elements. The flavour also remains mild and slightly nutty.  Most vegetable beds are being cleared when lamb’s lettuce is sown and other benefits are that it is a good green manure (cover crop). Any excess can be dug into the soil when finished with, enriching it with nutrients for the next growing season.  Cloches (row covers) can be used to speed up growth but it is important to make sure they are opened on sunny days as a sudden rise in temperature can cause the plants to bolt (run to seed) and stop producing.  As with most salad crops, lamb’s lettuce can be picked as whole rosettes or harvested by plucking individual leaves every week or so.  Picked leaves will store well in a bag in the refrigerator and just need washing.