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Winter Lettuce: How to Reduce Nitrate Levels

Lamb’s lettuce and endive are among the winter salads par excellence. Served with a delicious vinaigrette and fruity oranges or pomegranate seeds, they provide the body with important nutrients and bring fresh variety to the winter kitchen. But especially in the dark and cold season, lettuce has a high nitrate value – but you can easily reduce it.

Nitrate in lettuce

Lettuce needs the naturally occurring nitrate in the soil for the formation of protein. The stalks, leaf panicles, and outer green leaves, in particular, are rich in nitrate, as they are involved in the water supply to the plant. When there is a lack of sunlight, the plants store a particularly large amount of nitrate – also at night or in greenhouses. With the help of daylight, the nitrate is broken down, which is why vegetables should be harvested in the evening.

Nitrate in the body

Nitrates are nitrogen compounds. Foods with a high nitrate content are not of concern in and of themselves. However, nitrite can be converted into nitrosamines in the body: these are considered carcinogenic. Nitrites are an intermediate product in supplying the plant with nitrogen. The nitrate can be converted into nitrite by microbiological or enzymatic effects, e.g. B. improper storage or transport of the plant as well as hygiene deficiencies.

Reduce nitrates in winter salads

In order to reduce the nitrate content in winter lettuce, the rosette should be removed from the lamb’s lettuce and only the individual leaves should be eaten. Endive care should be taken to remove the nitrate-rich stalk as well as the outer leaves and thick leaf veins.

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Batavia Lettuce: Tips on Growing and Using

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.

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Romaine Lettuce: Cultivation, Use and Ingredients

Romaine lettuce is a popular staple ingredient for salads and side dishes. We’ll show you how to grow the popular romaine lettuce yourself and use it in the kitchen.

Romaine Lettuce: How To Grow It

Romaine lettuce is also known as romaine lettuce, lettuce or lattuga. It is also suitable for gardeners who are not that experienced yet, as it is a relatively undemanding and easy-care plant. You should consider the following things when growing:

Romaine lettuce grows best in a sunny location. The soil should be loose, rich in humus, nutritious and always moist.
From March you can put the Romana seeds in the cold frame. From April to the end of July you can sow them directly in the open air.
Don’t plant the seeds too deep in the soil. Otherwise they quickly start to rot.
Make sure there is a distance of 30 to 40 centimeters between the seeds. As the plants get bigger, you may need to remove some more so they don’t get in the way of each other.
You can harvest the lettuce after 10 to 14 days. If you want fresh romaine lettuce in your garden all summer long, it is best to sow new seeds every 14 days.
Alternatively, you can also buy Romana young plants and plant them directly in the bed. Again, make sure that there is a distance of at least 25 to 30 centimeters between the plants.
You don’t usually have to fertilize romaine lettuce. However, you should water it regularly so that the soil never dries out. From time to time you can also loosen the soil a bit so that excess water can drain off easily and no waterlogging forms.
After harvesting, the best place to store romaine lettuce is in the fridge. You can also wrap it in some damp paper.

Romaine Lettuce: Uses and Nutrients

The crisp outer leaves of romaine lettuce have a slightly tart flavor. The lettuce hearts, on the other hand, are a little milder. Romaine lettuce is particularly common in Mediterranean cuisine. Here it is used raw in salads or served warm as a side dish. You can serve it fried or blanched (similar to chard or spinach). You can also roast it briefly in the oven.

Romaine lettuce tastes particularly good in combination with aromatic and strong ingredients such as olives, garlic, cheese or roasted nuts. It is particularly well-known as the main ingredient in the famous Caesar salad, in which it is served with parmesan, croutons and the typical Caesar dressing.

Like other types of lettuce, romaine lettuce is mostly water. It is therefore low in calories, but also low in micronutrients compared to other vegetables. Nevertheless, it is a good supplier of vitamin C and also contains small amounts of B vitamins, provitamin A and potassium and calcium.

Note, however, that romaine lettuce, like all types of lettuce, contains nitrates. This can be converted into harmful nitrite in the body. Therefore, consume romaine lettuce in moderation and make sure you eat a balanced and varied diet.

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Sugar Loaf Lettuce: Growing and Using the Winter Lettuce

Sugarloaf lettuce also provides you with valuable nutrients regionally in winter. In this article you will learn how to grow the lettuce variety in your garden and how to use sugar loaf lettuce in the kitchen.

Like radicchio and chicory, sugar loaf salad belongs to the chicory salads. They all come from the wild chicory and are therefore particularly robust.

Sugarloaf lettuce is particularly suitable as an autumn and winter salad, as it can also cope well with low temperatures down to minus seven degrees – even if the lettuce originally comes from Italy.

The Sugar Loaf owes its name to the large oval heads. They reach a size of up to 45 centimeters and can weigh up to two kilograms. Because of the firm, fleshy leaves, it is also called meat herb.

In this article you will learn how to grow sugar loaf and how to use it in the kitchen.

Growing sugar loaf lettuce in the garden

The sugar loaf is an annual lettuce and belongs to the daisy family. The winter lettuce is robust and easy to care for. You should consider the following tips so that the lettuce also thrives in your garden:

Location:

Sugar Loaf prefers a sunny to partially shaded place.
The salad thrives particularly well after peas or spinach.
Change the bed for sugar loaf lettuce every year and make sure not to plant other composite plants such as salsify, marigolds or artichokes until after three years.
Floor:

The sugar loaf prefers humus-rich, loose and moist soil.
Loosen the soil well and clear it of weeds and large stones before planting the lettuce.
Enrich the soil with some mature compost so that the lettuce is well supplied with nutrients.
mixed culture:

Good neighbors for sugar loaf salad are carrots, tomatoes and fennel.
A mixed culture with potatoes, on the other hand, is not suitable.
Sowing:

The right time to plant sugar loaf is late June to early July – for both seed and seedlings. The advantage of pre-grown plants is that you can start harvesting as early as August.
Place 2-3 seeds in the soil 30 centimeters apart and cover them with about 2 centimeters of soil. Sugarloaf develops firm so-called taproots and is therefore difficult to prick out. Therefore, you should isolate the young plants as soon as possible after they start to germinate.
Also keep a distance of 30 to 45 centimeters between the plants in the rows.
When planting seedlings, be careful not to plant the young plants too deep.
Provide the young lettuce plants with enough water so that they grow well.

Caring for and harvesting sugar loaf lettuce

Sugarloaf lettuce is frugal, robust and not very susceptible to pests. Nevertheless, there are some points that you should consider when caring for and harvesting:

Care:

Make sure that the lettuce is supplied with sufficient water, especially in the summer months.
Loosen the soil regularly and remove weeds.
If you enriched the soil with compost to begin with, you won’t need to fertilize the lettuce until harvest. If you did not fertilize the soil at the beginning, you can enrich the soil later with organic fertilizer such as nettle manure.
If necessary, you can protect the lettuce from pests with a fine net.
At low temperatures, you should also protect the lettuce with a layer of leaves or straw. Make sure the leaves are dry to prevent mold from forming.
Harvest:

After eight to twelve weeks you can harvest the sugar loaf lettuce. The later you harvest the lettuce, the milder it will taste. It is best to wait until after the first frost to harvest.
You can use a knife to cut off the heads just above the ground. Alternatively, you can harvest the lettuce with its roots to keep it fresh longer.
Sugarloaf lettuce is best stored in a cool, dark place.

Sugar Loaf Lettuce: Use in the kitchen

The wintry sugar loaf salad provides you with valuable nutrients and vitamins even in winter – and all regionally without long transport routes. It contains, among other things:

beta-carotene
B vitamins
vitamin C
potassium
You can prepare sugar loaf in the classic way as a salad or steam it with other winter vegetables.

The outer green leaves are usually very bitter, which is why the inner, light part of the lettuce is mainly prepared. However, the bitter substances it contains are very healthy. That’s why you should also use the green leaves of the sugar loaf lettuce. You can mitigate the bitter taste with the following tips:

Make salads with sweet fruits like apples, grapes, or pears. This harmonises the nutty taste of the salad and balances out the bitter note.
A dressing of vinegar and sugar neutralizes the bitter taste.
Briefly boil the lettuce in a little salted water or soak the cut lettuce in lukewarm water for five minutes. However, valuable vitamins are also lost, which is why we do not recommend this method.

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Lamb’s Lettuce: The Greens Are so Healthy

Lamb’s lettuce is healthy and one of the most nutritious types of lettuce. We give you an overview of the nutritional values, vitamins and minerals and also show you the disadvantages of the salad.

Lamb’s lettuce is in season from October to April. So it’s worth buying and processing the healthy lettuce during this period.

When buying lamb’s lettuce, you should look for an organic seal. It guarantees you that the lamb’s lettuce comes from organic farming and is free of chemical pesticides. If you buy the lamb’s lettuce regionally, not only will the local suppliers be happy, you will also be doing something good for the environment and your health. Regional products cause fewer CO2 emissions thanks to shorter transport routes.

Is lamb’s lettuce healthy? This is what the nutritional values ​​of the lettuce look like

Lamb’s lettuce is healthy because it is one of the most nutritious types of lettuce. It is also low in fat, sugar and carbohydrates.

This is what the specific nutritional values ​​of 100 grams of lamb’s lettuce look like:

Calorific value: 18 kcal (77kJ)
Protein: 1.8g
Carbohydrates: 0.7g
of which sugar: 0.7 g
Fat: 0.4g
Dietary fiber: 1.8 g

Lamb’s lettuce also contains many healthy vitamins and minerals. These include, among others:

vitamin C
Vitamin A
vitamin E
B group vitamins
magnesium
chloride
sulfur
potassium
calcium
phosphorus

Effect of healthy lamb’s lettuce

The vitamins and minerals it contains make lamb’s lettuce very healthy. The ingredients of lamb’s lettuce have a number of positive health aspects:

Lamb’s lettuce is known for having a particularly high proportion of vitamin C. This strengthens the immune system and is necessary for the development of connective tissue and bones.
Lamb’s lettuce contains vitamin A, which supports both the structure of the skin and visual performance.
Vitamin E is also detectable in lamb’s lettuce. The two essential functions of the vitamin are fat metabolism and the protection of body cells from free radicals.
In addition, the lettuce variety is rich in various vitamin B groups. The highest is the vitamin B6 proportion, which is crucial for various metabolic processes such as protein metabolism and also plays an important role in hormone formation.

Disadvantages of lamb’s lettuce

Although lamb’s lettuce is so healthy, it also has disadvantages: it contains both oxalic acid and nitrate. Both substances can become toxic to the human body.

Nitrate: Nitrate in water and food is initially harmless. However, it becomes critical when the body converts the nitrate to nitrite, for example during digestion. This often leads to a bacterial infection of the digestive tract. This can even be life-threatening for children.
Oxalic Acid: Pure oxalic acid can damage the kidneys. Cooking foods that contain this substance helps. In this way, the oxalic acid content decreases. However, the oxalic acid value in lamb’s lettuce is so low that you can eat it raw. Nevertheless, caution is advised: You should not consume lamb’s lettuce in excessively large quantities. If you suffer from kidney failure, you are on the safe side if you do without lamb’s lettuce.

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Dressing for Lamb’s Lettuce: These Salad Dressings Go Best

Are you looking for a dressing for lamb’s lettuce to spice it up a bit? Whether fruity, spicy or creamy: We have three delicious recipe ideas for lamb’s lettuce salad dressings.

Especially in winter, the body is happy about fresh food. Lamb’s lettuce is particularly welcome here as it is in season during the winter months.

Fiery lamb’s lettuce with lemon and chilli dressing

A dressing with chili also warms you up from the inside and really cheers you on during the cold season. Combined with fresh lemon as a vinegar substitute, you have a vitamin boost.

For the lemon and chilli dressing (for approx. 200g lamb’s lettuce) you need the following organic ingredients:

salt and pepper
½ tsp sweet mustard
4 tablespoons high-quality salad oil (e.g. a mixed oil made from sesame, sunflower and soybean oil)
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ – ¾ tsp chili powder, depending on how spicy you want it
some water
Whisk all the ingredients together with a whisk, then pour over the lamb’s lettuce. The sweet mustard balances the hot chilli powder and gives the lamb’s lettuce dressing a thick consistency.

Honey-mustard salad dressing for lamb’s lettuce

A honey-mustard dressing goes very well with the nutty and mild-tasting lamb’s lettuce. Mustard adds that certain something with its spiciness and the honey rounds it off with its sweetness – an ideal combination for your lamb’s lettuce dressing.

Ingredients for the lamb’s lettuce dressing (for approx. 200g lamb’s lettuce):

salt and pepper
2 tsp mustard
1 tsp honey
1 finely chopped shallot
4 tbsp salad oil
Mix all the ingredients with a whisk or a whisk. If you are using an electric mixer, add the shallot after mixing. You can round off your salad with roasted pine nuts or a salad seed mixture of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame and pine nuts.

Fruity walnut raspberry dressing

Fresh lamb’s lettuce can also be excellently combined with a fruity touch of raspberries and a good portion of omega 3 in the form of walnuts and walnut oil. The recipe uses raspberry jam, which you can certainly replace with thawed raspberries from the summer months and thus have a slightly healthier version.

For the fruity lamb’s lettuce dressing (for approx. 200g of lettuce) you will need:

salt and pepper
1 tsp mustard
2 tbsp water
3 tbsp walnut oil
1 tbsp raspberry jam, alternatively 2 tbsp frozen raspberries, defrosted
1 handful of walnut kernels
Preparation: Press the raspberry jam or the defrosted raspberries through a fine sieve with a spoon so that the small seeds do not end up in the salad dressing. Then mix all the other ingredients except for the walnuts with a whisk and pour them over the lamb’s lettuce. Garnish everything with the walnuts and your raspberry dressing is ready.

Notes on the ingredients

It is also important to pay attention to organic quality when it comes to lamb’s lettuce in order to avoid chemical-synthetic pesticides. Of course, the best thing is to simply grow lamb’s lettuce in your own garden or on the balcony: Sow lamb’s lettuce: you have to bear this in mind when sowing .

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Lamb’s Lettuce: You Should Avoid These 4 Mistakes

Lamb’s lettuce is one of the few vegetables that can be harvested in winter. We give you four tips on how to properly harvest, wash, store and prepare leafy greens.

Lamb’s lettuce is healthy and one of the most nutritious types of lettuce. It contains valuable vitamins and minerals that contribute to a balanced diet.

However, there are a few things you should keep in mind when storing and preparing lamb’s lettuce. Only if you harvest, store, wash and use them correctly can the leafy vegetables unfold their healthy effect, preserve them and stay fresh for a few days.

We explain which mistakes you should avoid and give you tips on how to do it right.

Mistake #1: Not harvesting lamb’s lettuce properly

You can easily sow lamb’s lettuce yourself in the garden. It is undemanding and with proper care you can harvest it all year round. The main season for lamb’s lettuce is from October to December. So you can still prepare delicious dishes with the leafy vegetables from your garden even in winter.

However, there are a few things to keep in mind when harvesting:

Cutting: Cut the rosettes of the lamb’s lettuce individually. Always use a sharp knife for this. This way the cut will be smooth and the plant will be less susceptible to diseases and pests. Also, make sure you never cut too deep so the lettuce can grow back properly.
Picking: Lamb’s lettuce can grow back best if you pick individual leaves and do not cut them off. Pick the large leaves so that young shoots can grow. Take just a few leaves from each plant at a time so they can keep growing year-round.
Nitrate: Lamb’s lettuce stores nitrate in its leaves. Nitrate in water and food is initially harmless. It only becomes critical when we absorb too much of it. In the evening, the nitrate in lamb’s lettuce is lower because it has been broken down over the course of the day. Therefore, harvest the lettuce in the evening to be on the safe side.
If you don’t grow lamb’s lettuce yourself, but buy it, then make sure it’s organic. Especially tender leafy greens can easily absorb pesticides or chemical-synthetic fertilizers – these end up in and on your food. When shopping, you can use the organic seals from Demeter, Bioland and Naturland as a guide, as they require particularly strict criteria.

Whether from your garden or from the organic market: Wash the lamb’s lettuce thoroughly before eating.

Mistake #2: Wash lamb’s lettuce under running water

Before eating, it is important to wash the lamb’s lettuce properly. The leafy greens are often full of sand or soil and may have fertilizer residues on them.

You should not wash lamb’s lettuce under running water. The soil often hides on the individual rosettes of the leaves and is not rinsed off under running water. In addition, the sheets can quickly stick together under running water and thus prevent thorough cleaning. Anyway, you save water if you don’t wash the lamb’s lettuce under running water.

Prepare a cold water bath for the lamb’s lettuce instead:

Remove wilted or dried leaves from the lamb’s lettuce rosettes.
Fill a large bowl with cold water (it will go limp quickly in warm water).
Submerge the lamb’s lettuce in the cold water and let it soak for five minutes. The heavy earth sinks down.
Carefully remove the leaves from the surface and discard the water along with any soil that has collected at the bottom. Tip: Catch the water and use it to water the flowers.
Fill the bowl again with cold water and add the lamb’s lettuce. Now toss the individual leaf rosettes in the water and check them for sandy residue.
Place the washed leaves on a clean tea towel and let them dry.
Remove the roots with a sharp knife so that only the individual leaves or fine rosettes of leaves remain.
Spinning in a salad spinner is not recommended for lamb’s lettuce, or if so, then only very carefully. The lettuce quickly loses its loose structure and sticks together.

If you do not prepare the lamb’s lettuce directly, it is particularly important to dry it well and store it appropriately.

Mistake #3: Storing lamb’s lettuce incorrectly

Lamb’s lettuce is delicate and doesn’t keep very long after harvest. That’s why you should eat it as fresh as possible. If you do want to store it for a few days, then follow these tips to keep the leafy green crisp:

Store lamb’s lettuce cool. This keeps the leaves crisp and fresh.
Avoid wetness. Lamb’s lettuce quickly becomes mushy and can only be stored if it is well dried.
Condensation damages the lettuce and causes it to rot quickly. Therefore, do not store lamb’s lettuce in airtight packaging. If you buy it in a box, always unwrap it for storage.
It is best to wash and dry the lamb’s lettuce thoroughly before storing it. Wrap it in a kitchen towel and put it in the fridge. It can stay fresh for up to a week.

Tip: Place lettuce that is a few days old in a cold water bath for a few minutes. This has an invigorating effect and makes the leaves fresh and crisp again.

Mistake #4: Preparation without vitamin C

Lamb’s lettuce is a real vitamin bomb and rich in valuable minerals and trace elements. It is valued above all for its high iron content and can counteract iron deficiency during pregnancy (caution: do not eat pre-packaged and/or pre-cut lettuce during pregnancy, as it can provide an increased surface area for bacteria to attack. If you are unsure, also avoid lamb’s lettuce in the restaurant – you don’t know how freshly and thoroughly washed it was.). Iron is an important trace element that influences many bodily functions.

The body needs vitamin C to properly absorb iron. Therefore, always prepare the lamb’s lettuce with a dressing containing vitamin C.

You can easily make dressing for lamb’s lettuce yourself. Orange or lemon are particularly suitable as they contain a lot of vitamin C.

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11 Amazing Facts About Lettuces

Lettuce is a delicious and crunchy vegetable that is an ingredient in many dishes. Fresh contains many vitamins and minerals. What do you know about Lettuces?

Healthy home lettuce in rows in garden.
  1. In total, the genus includes about 150 species, the most common of which is “Lettuce” or “Sowing lettuce” (leaf and head lettuce). It is cultivated commercially and sold all over the world. Other species are considered weeds.
  2. The French were the first to add lettuce to salads. That is why the word “salad” was added to the name of the vegetable.
  3. These greens can be grown in any season. She is unpretentious and feels great in the fresh air, in a greenhouse or greenhouse.
  4. Sowing lettuce leaves were first consumed by the inhabitants of Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece.
  5. Wild lettuce is a poisonous plant.
  6. Once upon a time, people grew sowing lettuce to make oil from its seeds.
  7. Lettuce is consumed as a source of nutrients. For culinary purposes, leaves, a thickened stem, and ahead of vegetables are used. Heads of cabbage and leaves are edible fresh until the plant forms a stem (then they acquire a bitter taste).
  8. The juice is prepared from the leaves of sowing lettuce, which is taken for gastrointestinal ailments, hypertension, atherosclerosis, tuberculosis, to increase appetite, remove excess fluid from the body, and combat constipation. For its preparation, they take not light, but dark leaves, since they contain a lot of chlorophyll.
  9. The plant is used to strengthen hair, improve skin health.
  10. Nutritionists recommend using sowing salad for those who dream of losing weight, as it is a low-calorie product rich in nutrients. It is useful to eat this plant for children and the elderly. It is advisable to eat dishes from it in the postoperative period and to recuperate after serious illnesses.
  11. Output. Lettuce leaves are crispy and tasty. They are added to various dishes around the world. The plant is a source of vitamins and microelements, which makes it an irreplaceable product for making medicinal infusions and juices.
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