A couple years ago, some farming friends mentioned how much they liked their iceberg lettuce. "ICEBERG lettuce?" we scoffed. "Why would you grow iceberg lettuce?!" Their answer was something like, "Because it's great."
Many vegetables that are unexciting in their supermarket version can be awfully good when they are super fresh and have been grown well. Turns out that iceberg lettuce is one of them. (Also on that list: Potatoes, cucumbers, and actually, most vegetables.)
Is it still mostly water? Yes. Is it the darkest or most complexly flavored leafy green ever to grace a salad? No. Is it crispy, crunchy, juicy, and mild? Yes, yes it is. We grow nearly a dozen different kinds of lettuce, and all of them are at their best in June, but we find ourselves hunting around in the cooler for the icebergs more often than you might expect.
If you want to check it out for yourself, we just delivered some to the Middlebury Co-op and should have it at the farmers' market this weekend as well.
Many vegetables that are unexciting in their supermarket version can be awfully good when they are super fresh and have been grown well. Turns out that iceberg lettuce is one of them. (Also on that list: Potatoes, cucumbers, and actually, most vegetables.)
Is it still mostly water? Yes. Is it the darkest or most complexly flavored leafy green ever to grace a salad? No. Is it crispy, crunchy, juicy, and mild? Yes, yes it is. We grow nearly a dozen different kinds of lettuce, and all of them are at their best in June, but we find ourselves hunting around in the cooler for the icebergs more often than you might expect.
If you want to check it out for yourself, we just delivered some to the Middlebury Co-op and should have it at the farmers' market this weekend as well.
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