Inside The New York Botanical Garden
lettuce
Posted in Programs and Events on April 22 2014, by Matt Newman
While it’s clear that every day is Earth Day at The New York Botanical Garden (look around!), we think of April 22 as another opportunity to break out our megaphone and remind the world that conservation and environmentalism are some of the most important concerns facing humanity today. But those are big, scary words to some people, and everyone could use some hints as to how they can best serve and better this planet we’ve been riding around on. That’s why, each year, we take part in hands-on activities that make it easy to learn greener, more sustainable means of supporting both yourself and our big blue-green orb.
If you’re out and about in the city today and feeling peckish, stop by one of Mario Batali’s gourmet restaurants for lunch or dinner and don’t forget to snag one of our seed packets on your way out. As always, our close pal Mario is dedicated to fresh, seasonal ingredients, and he’s paired up with us this year to provide these packets as part of our combined Edible Academy efforts. Each packet contains a healthy handful of Insalata Mista lettuce seeds ready to be sown at home, soon to save you a trip to the supermarket and provide healthy, delicious options for cooking at home. And if you can’t make it out to eat, we’ve also got a booth in Union Square for today only, giving out seed packets to anyone who’d like one!
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Posted in Gardening Tips on August 31 2009, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
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Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center. |
The lettuce that we find on our dinner tables, Lactuca sativa, differs greatly from its early progenitor found in ancient Egypt. The Egyptians dined on a plant that was similar to the weedy, prickly lettuce Lactuca serriola, which is very bitter and was blanched (grown in darkness) for a period of time to make it more palatable.
The bitterness comes from a latex or milky juice that is prominent in all lettuces when they mature and go to seed. This feature is denoted in both its Latin and common names. The Latin name, Lactuca sativa, translates into milky plant (Lactuca) grown from seed (sativa). The common name, lettuce, is derived from an old French word that means milky (laitues).
Lettuce is in the Asteraceae family. If you let it bolt (i.e. go to seed), you will be able to quickly identify its family of origin. The flowers have a distinctive daisy-like appearance and look like small dandelions.
There are many different kinds of lettuce. They are usually classified in the following main groups: Romaine (Cos), Butterhead, Crisphead, and Looseleaf.
Romaine or Cos lettuce was thought to have originated from Southern Europe (Greece and Italy). It is an upright plant with elongated leaves. It has a crunchy texture and sturdy leaves. Due to its warmer origins, romaine lettuce tends to be more heat tolerant than most other types. An interesting heirloom variety to try is the speckled ‘Forellenschluss’.
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While it’s clear that every day is Earth Day at The New York Botanical Garden (look around!), we think of April 22 as another opportunity to break out our megaphone and remind the world that conservation and environmentalism are some of the most important concerns facing humanity today. But those are big, scary words to some people, and everyone could use some hints as to how they can best serve and better this planet we’ve been riding around on. That’s why, each year, we take part in hands-on activities that make it easy to learn greener, more sustainable means of supporting both yourself and our big blue-green orb.