March Vegetable of the Month - Red Cross Lettuce
/Did you know…? Fun Facts!
The scientific name of Red Cross Lettuce is Lactuca sativa
Red Cross lettuce is a type of butterhead lettuce, also called a “bib lettuce”.
Red Cross Lettuce is an annual plant in the daisy (Asteraceae) family – related to marigolds, daisies, artichokes, and yarrow.
Ancient Egyptians are thought to have developed many of the current types of lettuce we use from wild lettuce almost 4,500 years ago.
Red Cross Lettuce is more heat tolerant than most lettuces, but it requires a minimum of 45 degrees soil temperature for planting and germination.
Nutritional Information:
- 1 cup butter lettuce provides 19mg calcium, 0.7mg iron, 131mg potassium, 1,822 IU vitamin A, 1.2g carbohydrates, 0.6g protein, and 0.6g fiber.
Recipes:
Spicy Red Leaf Lettuce and Arugula Pesto