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In the summer of 2005 we grew a large number of specialty lettuces and greens. Below are listed those that we will definitely be growing again in 2006, plus we will be adding new greens and new varieties, so watch this space!

Greens are listed first, followed by the lettuce varieties.

ARUGULA - The king of gourmet salad greens.
Arugula, also known as Roquette, is very hardy with a fine peppery/sweet flavour. The salad green has a flavour that starts mild in young leaves and intensifies as they mature. It is usually appreciated raw in salads or on sandwiches.

  • Astro – Great salad variety.
  • Wild - An alternative to the usual Rocket, with deep green, serrated foliage that makes an attractive garnish. Wild Rocket has a stronger flavour than standard Rocket, and the young leaves can be picked in succession and are perfect for salads.
  • Skyrocket combines the speed of Salad Rocket and the flavour of Wild Rocket. An upright habit, so keeps the attractive serrated leaves clean and disease free. Pungency increases as the plants develop. Best cut as small leaves.

MEI QING CHOI – Baby Pak Choi
This dwarf is compact, tasty and tender. The first hybrid green stem dwarf Shanghai pak choi type with good heat and cold tolerance and bolting resistance. In the fanciest preparations, only the tiny "heart" is used. Excellent eating quality and very delicious when frying with meat and other vegetables

BEETS – Varieties:
Bulls Blood – Dual Purpose - Beets & Greens – Heirloom;
An exceptional baby green. Deep red leaves make an attractive addition to salad mixes as well as a great vegetable.

CHICORY –

  • Cicoria Catalogna - Dark green leaves 12 in./31 cm long and 3 in./8 cm wide are deeply notched, with light green petioles. Both leaves and tender stalks are harvested in the spring.
  • Magdeburgh - Italian dandelion. Plants are 15 in./38 cm tall with medium green tender dandelion-like foliage. Leaves excellent for salads or cooked like spinach. Roots are 14-16 in long, tapered and white.

ENDIVE -
Extra finely cut, lacy leaves with mild, nutty-flavour, delicate crispy ribs and cream coloured hearts are fast growing and are a great addition to salads, adding flavour, body and crunchy texture. Cool weather crop, so harvest leaves young during hot weather to avoid bitterness. BROAD-LEAVED & GREEN CURLED AVAILABLE

GARLAND ROUND LEAVED or Shungiku - Chrysanthemum coronarium
Large leaf chrysanthemum. Oriental green with an unusual strong flavour – chopsuey green. Leaves are cooked like spinach. Edible young leaves & flowers used for flavouring salads, or in stir fries.

KOMATSUNA - All season Japanese Green.
Mild, tender greens for salads, stir-fry. Uniform upright plants with slender, tasty, cylindrical green stems and dark green, round leaves.

MACHE / CORN SALAD
A popular miniature gourmet salad green. Dark green, round leaves form delicately nutty-flavored fancy rosettes.

MUSTARD – Chinese – ‘Southern Giant’
Sharp-flavoured curly leaves are excellent in salads and sandwiches or cooked. Harvest when young and tender.

Mitsuba - Cryptotoenia japonica
Japanese parsley. A perennial plant with tender leaf stems - 3 plain parsley leaves per stem. Young leaves have an aromatic flavour used in seasoning fish soups, sukiyaki, etc.

MIZUNA- (Japanese Mustard)
Attractive, finely-cut curled leaf mustard with pleasant, mild flavour. A slender leafed and mild flavoured salad green. Japanese favourite for sukiyaki-like dishes. Also great in salads and as a garnish.

ORACH – (French spinach)
An old world vegetable green known to the Greeks and Romans, still popular in France today. The tender young shoots can be boiled and buttered, creamed, added to quiches, rolled up in crepes, or tossed in cold salads - just like spinach, only with a milder, less acidic flavour.

PERILLA – Purple (Akashisho) -
Purple (Purplish red leaves; preferred for pickling. A popular Japanese herb. Young stems and leaves can be used for aroma, flavoring Mesclun salad mixes, cooking and pickling. Dark red leaves are serrated.

PURSLANE –
Succulent leaves are popular in France for salads, cooked greens or in soups. Good summer green performing best in hot weather. Much improved over its wild relative.

  • Golden Leaf French
  • Green Leaf

RADICCHIO – Chicory Milan
Milan has dark red, round 5½ - 6 inch heads with distinct white veins and is compact with well folded leaves. The colorful leaves create a striking and flavourful accent to green salads.

SALAD BURNET –
Nut-cucumber flavour of leaves is welcome in all salads with French dressing or mayonnaise. Also in soups, casseroles, herb vinegars and cream cheeses.

SPINACH –

  • Catalina - a smooth-leaf type with exceptional dark green leaves noted for baby-leaf production. Smaller leaves are thick, nutritious and add an interesting texture to salad mixes.
  • Correnta - The very dark green, smooth thick leaves are an excellent source of fibre, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, magnesium and folacin. The rounded leaves are heavy but tender. Delicious cooked and absolutely wonderful in salads.

    Plus: Bloomsdale, Galaxy, Oriental Giant, Organic Samish

Tatsoi - One of the most popular oriental greens.
An open-hearted oriental mustard with spoon shaped, thick, very deep green leaves. Tender and flavorful. Excellent for salads, soups and oriental-style cooking.

LETTUCE VARIETIES:

ARUBA Lettuce
Especially suited to baby leaf, Aruba is a true dark red coloured oak-leaf loose lettuce with intense red-bronze coloring at a young stage. The slightly ruffled and lobed leaves add texture and visual appeal as well as the mild taste.

BRONZE ARROW – Certified Organic Seed
Delicious, silky-textured red-green arrow-shaped leaves, dark green with bronze tinting – absolutely beautiful. Mild-tasting. A rare heirloom, long-standing beautiful lettuce that has it all; considered one of the best lettuces in the world.

BLACKJACK MI
Looseleaf lettuce – The dark burgundy color at an early stage makes it excellent intense red “baby leaf”. Leaves are slightly ruffled.

BLACK SEEDED SIMPSON Certified Organic Seed
Heirloom. Our earliest leaf lettuce. Loose, light green crinkly leaves retain their crisp, tender eating qualities longer than other leaf lettuce varieties. The savoy leaves are crisp, tender and produce abundantly.

SIMPSON ELITE Lettuce
Probably the best leaf lettuce on the market. Flavour is delicate with almost no bitterness even in latter stages of harvest. Simpson Elite grows quickly, has crisp texture and attractive medium-light green curled leaves;
Also: SIMPSON LEAF

CAVALRY
A Triple Red leaf lettuce that was developed specifically for use as a baby leaf. Cavalry has good colour in the baby stage. The leaves are red-bronze in colour, have a slightly blistered edge and have a nice crisp texture. Plants growth is upright for easy harvest.

ERUPTION Lettuce
Add bursts of color to your plate with Eruption lettuce. An intensely red colored mini bib-romaine lettuce, suited to baby leaf and mesclun prodution. Glossy, savoy leaves are crisp and mild tasting. Miniature romaine heads will reach 8" tall.

FRECKLES Lettuce Certified Organic Seed
This early, open pollinated lettuce has glossy green, semi-savoy leaves with maroon splaches. Mature heads hold extremely well in the field. A green romaine with maroon splashes that will really liven up your salad.

LOLLA ROSSA Certified Organic Seed
A frilly red lettuce that will add lots of eye appeal and volume to salads. An excellently flavoured Italian lettuce of the type used in salads and also in many other dishes as a tasty garnish. It is compact, non hearting with a rosette of finely frilled leaves with deep red edge.

MERVEILLE DES QUATRES SAISONS (Marvel of 4 Seasons) - Organic - Rare
A classic old French lettuce, described by the famous French seed company, Vilmorin, in 1885. This heirloom has a rosette of reddish-coloured leaves that deepen to a dark red in cool weather. This centuries-old French heirloom bibb lettuce has big heads of radiant color, with flavorful ruby-red leaves surrounding tightly folded, crispy green hearts.

PARRIS ISLAND OR COS
A well-known 'romaine' lettuce. Especially noted for its crisp leaves and sweet flavor. Attractive uniform heads are large, growing about 10 inches tall, with deep green outer leaves protecting the creamy white heart.

RED DEER TONGUE – Certified Organic Seed - Rare
Named for its triangular leaves, which are blushed with red, this heirloom was popular with pioneers for its hardiness

RED CORAL – Organic Seed
A beautiful heirloom lettuce with reddish-pink, frilled leaves Quite stunning visually, with a nice, sweet flavour.

RED SAILS
Early, beautiful colour, and high nutritional value. Loose leaf lettuce with a deep bronze-red color. Its open head allows more sunlight on leaves and thus more nutrients-but still forms full center.

ROUGE D’HIVER - Certified Organic Seed
1800’s. An old French variety with red & green leaves, which have a sweet, buttery flavour. Cold & heat resistant..
Good for salad mix or for sandwiches. Deep red leaves form a loose romaine head. Rouge d'Hiver has better color than other red romaines.


RUBIN ROMAINE Lettuce Certified Organic Seed
This semi-dwarf romaine produces dark red outer leaves with bright green inner leaves. Produces open upright heads that mature in 55-60 days.

SALAD BOWL
A True Three Season Lettuce and beautiful in the salad bowl. Long, wavy deep-notched lime green lettuce that is very early. Great for cutting, or for full size, looseleaf heads.

  • Red Salad Bowl – as above but with red outlining the leaves

SIERRA Lettuce
A red Batavia with great heat tolerance, Sierra produces shiny, thick green leaves with a burgundy tinge at the leaf tips. Leaves have a delicious crunchy, nutty flavor and add a touch of color to your salad mix.

SPECKLED – Certified Organic Seed – Rare.
Brought to Ontario by a Mennonite family in 1799, this attractive butterhead-type lettuce has light-green leaves “speckled” with maroon flecks. The unusual speckling of these mild, tender, thick but soft leaves will add visual interest to any salad. Speckles is rarely bitter and is quick maturing. It is also know as Boston or Bib lettuce. Lettuce grows well near cabbage, beets, carrots, chives, garlic, and onion.
 
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