🥬 Lettuce

Lactuca sativa

A leafy green vegetable with crisp, watery leaves that is the base of many salads.

Round or long heads of green or reddish leaves that can be crisp or soft and ruffly.

Fresh, crunchy, and very mild, with a cool, watery bite.

Mostly water, with vitamin A, vitamin K, and folate, and very low in calories.

Eat it raw in salads, on sandwiches, or as a crunchy wrap for other fillings.

Grows quickly from seed as a leafy head or loose bunch close to the ground.

Grows best in the cool weather of spring and fall.

First grown long ago in ancient Egypt, where it was an important food.

Lettuce belongs to the same plant family as the sunflower.

Tear lettuce with your hands instead of cutting it so the edges stay fresh longer.