The first one is Catalogna chicory. The Chicory family is very diverse and there are hundreds of varieties to choose from. This type is grown for its tender young leaves, which are harvested very young - it doesn't produce a heart like many of the others. Actually, the leaves look a lot like Dandelions. They are "denticulate" - in other words they have serrated "teeth" along the edges. My Catalogna came from a freebie pack which I got with a seed order. It seems OK, if rather unexciting, but I'm not sure that it is one I would grow again. Maybe as part of a mixed Baby Leaf Salad? I expect it can survive quite cool temperatures, which would be a bonus.
This is Land Cress, sometimes described here in the UK as "American Cress". It grows quite happily in normal garden soil, though it prefers damp conditions. It is quite long-lived and will self-seed if you allow it to. I pick individual leaves on a cut-and-come-again basis. The flavour is pretty peppery, which I like. A little bit of this can really liven-up a salad.
This is a young Curly Endive plant. It's not really ready for picking yet, but I'm impatient and I have sometimes been known to pick a few leaves from an immature plant when little else is available. This sort of Endive is grown just like lettuce, and used in the same way. It has a sharper, less sweet flavour than lettuce. I like that, but I'm aware that it doesn't appeal to everyone. You can reduce the bitterness by blanching the mature plants for 10 days or so before harvesting.
This one is Good King Henry. It's a plant that is used much like spinach. Its older leaves need to be cooked, but the tiny ones work well in a salad. I love their spearhead-like shape. The flavour is a bit bland though.
These are Nasturtiums. Most people grow Nasturtiums for their ornamental value, but their flowers and leaves are edible (as are the seeds). I can vouch for the fact that the flavour of the leaves is very distinctive and peppery, though I have never eaten a flower so I can't tell you whether they are nice to eat. They would certainly bring plenty of colour to a salad, even if you didn't eat them.
The little tiny leaves are best for eating; the bigger ones can be a bit chewy!
Of course if you want colour in your salad, you could do a lot worse than grow some Radicchio...
Another edible flower that is sometimes used in salads is the Calendula or Pot Marigold:
Finally, I have Purple Basil. This is also an ingredient that adds a wonderful colour to any salad. Its flavour and aroma is strong, so I tend to use Basil sparingly. I often put some whole leaves on or in a salad to "perfume" it, and then remove them before we eat it.
And just in case you thought you were going get all the way through a "Salad ingredients" post without a picture of a lettuce, here's one for you...
This youngster is a "Marvel of Four Seasons", but whether it will cope with our Winter season remains to be seen!
Very nice variety Mark. I tried Good King Henry one year and never got it to grow but have always wanted to try it again. I grow nasturtiums every year in a hanging basket somewhere. I had two this year. They never seem to do real well for me. I have eaten the leaves in salads too, it does make for a nice peppery taste.
ReplyDeleteWith such a great selection no-one could ever call your salads boring.
ReplyDeleteYou still have plenty to go at Mark - good planning.
ReplyDeleteMarvel of Four Seasons grows well in spring and autumn, I'm not sure about a full on winter, but worth the try. I like the idea of perfuming a salad with basil leaves as you're right they are quite strong to eat with other leaves. Christina
ReplyDeleteAhh thank you so much for the photo of the American Land Cress. I have some growing but the label rubbed off and I didn't know what it was! And yes, I agree that it's very peppery. So much so that I have been hesitant to eat it until I knew for sure what it was!
ReplyDeleteThe radicchio look great - I will have to track this down.
Its nice to have fresh veggies anytime for salads. Pot marigold grow like weeds in our garden. But I have never attempted to eat them yet.
ReplyDeleteOne of my aims from now on is to always have some salad greens in the garden. I get a bit slack and don't do successive plantings and there is no reason for that here, in my temperate climate, where I can grow some things all year round. Thanks for your catalogue of greens.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was little there was a vacant lot next to our holiday house which was filled with rampant Nasturtiums. We used to pick leaf after leaf and feed them to my grandfather who would dutifully eat them by the bucket load. Us kids though would take the tinniest nibble and run away screaming - its funny how vivid some mundane memories can be. Go on try the flowers they are nice and not unlike the leaves to eat.
ReplyDeleteYou grow a beautiful veggie my friend!!!!! A salad to die for. Did you take a picture of it?
ReplyDeleteThat's one good thing about growing salad leaves in your garden rather than on an allotment. They are always close by so you can pick a few freshly when you need them
ReplyDeleteWe don't eat many salads so I don't grow a variety of leaves, just a couple of different lettuce. I can see that you'll have all different tastes, shapes and colours in your salads.
ReplyDeleteWow Mark what a great post! I could live on salad so you've certainly given me lots to think about! Whenever I make a salad for visitors I always try and put a few Nasturtiums in cos they look SO pretty.x
ReplyDeleteThe nasturtium flowers are also lovely - peppery or sometimes rather radish-like.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Charles Dowding's book about growing salad throughout the year I have tried harder this year with my successional sowing but I can't match your variety. I obviously need to try harder!!
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