Fahmah's market lettuce makes seasonal debut.. and gud nosh.

I bought my first bag of lettuce of the season from Migliorelli Farm in Union Square's Greenmarket. The bag consisted of a mix of red and green leafed 'teen' lettuce, including leaf, oak leaf, and romaine. What I call 'teen', they call 'medium size'.

Lettuce, by far, is my #1 favorite nosh sold there. There's nothing like fresh lettuce, let me tell you. Just-picked lettuce is incredibly tender and almost melts in your mouth.. in a non-dairy kind of way.

Lettuce sold in supermarkets (including Whole Foods), in comparison, tends to be tougher. This is because of longer storage periods and conditions that help extend shelf life (ie. colder storage temps). As such, commercial lettuce loses water, which makes the lettuce drier and 'tougher'? or 'rougher'? or 'chewier'? I can't think of the right descriptor at the moment, but less palatable is what it boils down to. Most of us, including myself up to a few years ago, wouldn't have even noticed because supermarket/industry lettuce is all we have ever eaten, so there's no realization that there's something better out there. But there is and you should try it because..

1. It tastes better.
   
2. You might actually start liking lettuce, in case you don't already.
   
3. It's cheaper.
   
4. It helps small business and big Earth.

Yum num num..



How to prepare?
Wash thoroughly. Lettuce grows directly up from the ground.. where there's dirt.
Spin dry. Water doesn't allow dressing to stick to leaves.
Toss in dressing. Avoid commercial dressing like the plague. Seriously.
For the simplest of vinaigrettes: 1-2 parts balsamic vinegar to 1 part EVOO.     ie. 1-2 tbsps vinegar + 1 tbsp EVOO (high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, gum, and excess salt not included).


Happy Healthy Juicy Lettuce Noshing!