Lettuce Mix

I know that tomatoes, peppers and herbs tend to be the garden favorites, and I can see why. The end of summer bounty is typically so plentiful, and herbs have endless uses. For me, the lettuces we grow are held in the highest regard. Not only are they ready early, but the ability to go out in the garden and pull off some leaves from this lettuce and that for an ultra-fresh salad is super satisfying.

Lettuces have other virtues as well. They can be reliably counted on to grow easily from seed, they don't need to take up much space at all, and if succession planting is practiced, the harvest can continue all summer long. I'm sure I'm not alone in spending top dollar for an organic lettuce mix at the store. Spending, say, $5 on lettuce is cringe-worthy when one considers that for the same amount, copious salads from the garden can be had for months on end.

The lettuces in our garden are cutting lettuces, rather than a head lettuce like iceberg. Although, they can be pulled out in a bunch if desired. When we have a bit more lettuce than we can eat, we often pull out a few varieties and gift them to friends and family.

I'm a total sucker for cool names, and I think that lettuces might give any other type of veggie a run for their money. Shown in the picture above is Pablo, Flame, Forellenschuss, Amish Deer Tongue and Australian Yellowleaf.