THE MAINE MARKET BASKET

 A weekly news service for promoting 

 Maine's healthy, local and seasonal

 foods.

Featured crop: Lettuce and Salad Greens

While the end of summer may spell bad news for sun-lovers, it is a great time of year for salad-lovers. 

Salad greens are a crop that thrive in the warm days and cool  nights that are typical of late summer and early fall.

10 years ago, Maine's fall salad season was limited to just a few weeks before the first hard frost.  These days, however, more and more Maine farms are finding ways of stretching the salad season through the fall and, in some cases, right through the Maine winter using greenhouses.

In addition to being healthy, salad greens are also very easy to prepare.  All that is needed is a splash of your favorite dressing, a hunk of crusty bread, and you'll be well on your way to a delicious late September meal.

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Shopping info:

Salad greens can be bought loosely or as a mix in prepackaged bags. You can often get better quality when you buy loosely, because you can see all the leaves. When examining the leaves, pick the ones that are crisp and bright in color. Head lettuces such as Romaine, Boston, and Iceberg should have compact heads and stem ends that look freshly cut.

Salad greens are best eaten immediately, but in most cases can be kept for 3-5 days in the refrigerator. Most lettuces and greens will store better and last longer if washed beforehand.
 

Preparation info:

Wash the lettuce and greens well until no sand or grit appears at the bottom of your sink. Young, tender greens need no slicing or tearing.

To clean romaine lettuce, first remove the outer leaves and chop off the tips of the lettuce which tend to be bitter. Chop the remaining lettuce to the desired size and throw away the bottom root portion. Rinse and pat dry or use a salad spinner to remove the excess water.

If you don't have a spinner, you can "make your own" using a dry, clean dish towel. Place the greens in the middle of the towel and pull the four corners together tightly so that no lettuce or greens can escape. Take your bundle outside and, holding tightly, shake it downward in sharp movements so that the excess water is pulled out. 

Featured Recipe:

Classic French Vinaigrette
 

A good dressing is what makes the difference between an ordinary salad and an extraordinary one.  This vinaigrette is based on the late Julia Child's recipe and can be altered according to what you have available in your kitchen cupboard.  Try it on salad greens, fresh tomatoes, or steamed vegetables cooled to room temperature. 

Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon Dijon-type spicy mustard
1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon vinegar, wine if possible
1/3 to 1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil

1/2 tablespoon finely minced shallot or scallion (optional)
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Pepper to taste

Procedure:
Either shake all the ingredients together in a screw-topped jar, or mix them individually as follows. Stir the optional shallots or scallions together with the mustard and salt. Whisk in the lemon juice and vinegar, and when well blended start whisking in the oil by droplets until a smooth mixture is obtained. Beat in pepper. Taste by dipping a piece of salad into the sauce and correct seasoning with salt, pepper, and/or drops of lemon juice.

Yields about 2/3 of a cup or dressing for 6-8 people.

Did you know?

-The word lettuce is derived the Latin word for milk and is named from the milky white liquid that oozes from lettuce plant when it is harvested.

-Thomas Jefferson had 19 varieties of lettuce growing in his garden at Monticello.

-Iceberg lettuce got its name from the fact that California growers originally shipped it covered with heaps of crushed ice in the 1920s.

What else is in season?

Seasonal availability of produce in Maine varies from week to week and from one farm or farmers' market to the next.

Fresh, Maine-grown salad greens and lettuce are available from May through November. 

The following items are also considered widely available statewide as of this date: salad greens, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, snap and wax beans, beets, blueberries, broccoli, beet greens, eggplant, herbs, leeks, melons, onions, potatoes, peppers, sweet corn, swiss chard, scallions, tomatoes, zucchini and summer squash.

For more info on the seasonal availability of Maine produce, see the chart posted here.

Where to buy fresh, Maine-grown foods in your area:

       Find farmers markets in your area here

         Find farmstands in your area here

        Find CSA farms in your area here

     Find local "pick-your-own" farms here

For more info about the availability of Maine food and farm products, please see: http://www.getrealmaine.com

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