Like other types of lettuce, Batavia lettuce is easy to grow and care for and can be used in the kitchen as a basis for crunchy salads. Here you can find out what you should consider when choosing this colorful type of lettuce!

Batavia lettuce: How to grow it yourself

Like all types of lettuce, Batavia lettuce is relatively easy to grow. First you should find a suitable location. The place should be sunny or semi-shady, but under no circumstances be completely in the shade.

The soil should be loose, well drained, moist and slightly loamy. Batavia lettuce is also an uncomplicated plant with regard to the neighboring plants: it gets along with many other types of vegetables, such as carrots, radishes, tomatoes or strawberries. Only parsley and celery are not suitable as “neighbors”.

The best period for sowing is from March to July. The seeds are sown about 0.5 to one centimeter deep into the ground. Depending on the variety and the time of sowing, you can harvest the fresh lettuce leaves between May and October. Some Batavia lettuce grows as early as April or into November. However, make sure not to harvest lettuce during or shortly after flowering! In this case, the leaves not only taste bitter, but also contain significantly more nitrate.

In order to be able to harvest Batavia lettuce throughout the season, you can sow it every two to four weeks. Since lettuce is generally very easy to care for, Batavia does not need any additional fertilizers either. However, you should make sure to water it regularly.

Batavia lettuce: You should consider this when buying and storing it

Batavia lettuce is very similar in consistency and structure to iceberg lettuce and lettuce. It is mostly grown in France, Italy, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Depending on the variety and the time of harvest, the leaves can be yellowish, green or reddish. The taste of the lettuce also varies greatly: some varieties taste more hearty and spicy, while others have a milder and sweeter taste.

When buying Batavia lettuce, make sure the inside of the head of lettuce is still firm and crisp and the outer leaves aren’t starting to wilt. It is also advisable to pay attention to organic goods. This has not been treated with pesticides that are harmful to the environment and your health. If possible, also prefer regional products: the shorter the transport route, the fresher and richer in vitamins the salad is.

Ideally, you should store Batavia lettuce in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator at around two to seven degrees Celsius. Then it will keep for about four to five days.

Use and nutritional values ​​of the lettuce variety

You can use Batavia lettuce like lettuce. It is particularly suitable as a basis for salads. You can get ideas for light salad dressings in this article, for example: Salad dressing recipes: vinegar-oil, yoghurt dressing and balsamic dressing. You can use the marinated salad as a main meal or as a side dish. The crunchy salad is also ideal for a picnic or a barbecue.

Due to the special coloring of the lettuce leaves, Batavia lettuce is also often used as a decoration or topping for various dishes or cheese platters.

Like other types of lettuce, Batavia lettuce contains very few calories: 100 grams contain just 21 kilocalories. Since it consists largely of water, it also contains significantly fewer minerals and vitamins than other types of vegetables. Only the folic acid content is usually slightly higher in salads.