This year Windcrest Farm has a good supply of leaf lettuce for our Winter Market customers by growing in our two season extending hoophouses. Our local lettuce lasts much longer than greens harvested and shipped to the grocer's shelves. The lettuce tastes better because it has not been conditioned for shelf life through any processes such as antioxidant treatment, modified atmosphere packaging, refrigerated storage, washing with chlorinated water or ozone, or irradiation.
"Providing only six to 20 calories per cup, lettuce and other salad greens should be considered a nutritional bargain and a great way to get in one of your five servings of fruits and vegetables each day", says Janice Baranowski, a research dietitian with the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.Lettuce varieties that are dark green and reddish in color are the most nutritious.Leaf Lettuce is high in vitamin A and is a good source of folate. Leaf Lettuce is also low in sodium, low in calories and fat free.
Try Lettuce Wraps for a new way to eat more of this nutritious cool season vegetable. Lettuce wraps are very easy to create with an almost endless array of ingredient variations. Let your imagination and taste buds be your guide. Use the same ingredients that you use in salads, sandwiches, burritos, tortillas, pita bread, or spring rolls but lower your carb intake by replacing the bread with lettuce leaves. Great wraps mix the contrast of warm, flavorful fillings with the cool crunch of lettuce. Kids love to put together their own wraps! For your holiday party menu, try a variety of lettuces and a variety of fillings.
Filling Suggestions:
Carrots, grated or cut into thin strips
Mushrooms (we like Shiitakes!)
Egg, hardboiled and chopped, or scrambled
Cabbage, shredded (we like red)
Bean sprouts (easy to grow your own)
Tofu
Cheese (we love
Bosky Acres Goat Cheese!)
Water chestnuts (we substitue kholrabi)
Rice or any whole grain (we like Tabouli)
Any meat (try Grateful Grower's pork)
Add some kick:
Spring onion, sliced lengthwise into thin strips
Garlic, minced
Peppers, hot or sweet
Ginger, grated
Chang Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon hot mustard
2 teaspoons water
1-2 teaspoon garlic and red chile paste
Please let us know if we can pick a head or two your pickup on Satuday!
