Lettuce

I obtained a flat of lettuce starts from Cascadia Edible Landscapes for very cheap because they were sloppily seeded and needed to get in the ground. I parsed out 59 seedlings, some with terrible root structures. Somehow 48 of them are becoming full heads of lettuce, which means an abundance. I'm quite excited to be able to give most of these away though I don't have too many salad eaters in my life. Here is some of it: a kind of oak leaf lettuce.

I'm not sure, why don't more people enjoy lettuce? Unconsciously afraid of E. coli? Perhaps because there are only a handful of varieties at supermarkets, most with very bland taste. But if you spend a half hour reviewing a seed catalogue all the colors will make your mouth water. Invest in a different variety from the farmer's market each purchase, and give your tongue something to learn.

Selective breeding over the centuries has produced delayed bolting, larger seeds, leaves and heads, different tastes, textures, shapes and colors. These days research in genetic modification seeks to enhance herbicide tolerance, and resistance to  plant diseases and pests. However, lettuce varieties like to cross themselves (complicating things for seed savers). If they cross with wild lettuce they produce tougher, more bitter leaves. Should we take some cues from nature?

Lactuca sativa (Lac- "milk", sativa "cultivated"), of the sunflower family, was first cultivated by the Egyptians for oil in it's seeds, and was held sacred to the god Min, god of fertility. It was carried during festivals, in order to help the god "perform the sexual act untiringly". Indeed, lettuce is a wise choice for such a symbolic act, since it grows so easily! Although it doesn't preserve well and must be eaten quickly. In terms of feeding human health: lettuce offers plant protein, vitamins a and c, potassium, calcium, and iron. It also naturally absorbs and concentrates lithium. Medicinal benefits include treatments for pain, rheumatism, tension, nervousness and insanity. The lithium must somehow be involved with that.