Commodity Articles
Lettuce
March 2008Did you know Florida produces 80 percent of the fresh vegetables grown in the United States during January, February, and March of each year? It’s true—Florida is the nation’s winter salad bowl. Two of our most basic and beloved salad ingredients are, of course, lettuce and tomatoes, and Florida produces both in profusion.
Florida farmers produce a wide variety of lettuces—mild, crunchy romaine; vitamin-rich Bibb; tangy escarole and crisp endive. Escarole and endive make up a whopping 40 percent of Florida’s lettuce production fallowed by romaine at 15 percent.
The best indicator of freshness and good flavor is fragrance, not color so use your nose not just your eyes, when making produce selections. Regardless of their variety, lettuces should show no brown spots, wilting, or scarring.
Since lettuces are delicate, use care when transporting and storing. Lettuces fare best if kept cool and moist. As soon as you get home from the grocery store, go ahead and rinse your lettuce even if you’re not ready to use it. Wrap the lettuce in paper towels, place it in a perforated plastic bag, and refrigerate.
Lettuce should be washed carefully before serving. Separate the leaves and check for grit or debris. Once the washing is done, dry the lettuce completely, dressing won’t stick well to wet leaves. (Plus, you don’t want your salad to be soggy.) A salad spinner makes drying lettuce really quick and easy, or you can just place the leaves in a colander and wait for them to drain.
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