Lettuce Types
All About The Different Lettuce Types
Most farmers and gardeners place their leafy crops into four lettuce types. The first is Romaines. These are tall plants with tightly packed, rigid leaves. The leaves are a dark green in color, and the inner leaves have less color than the outer leaves. Many people consider this the lettuce with the most flavor. It is also full of nutrients. Romaine lettuce is high in beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin A. It also contains fiber and phytonutrients that can help ease many different health issues. Two cups of romaine lettuce give you 2 % of your daily iron needed, 19% of vitamin C and 55% of vitamin A.
The second of the most common lettuce types is the Crispheads. The most common of this group is iceberg lettuce. Its leaves are also densely packed, but they are lighter green in color, and thinner. Most of this type provide low calories but not as much nutrition as some of the other types of lettuce.
The third type is Butterheads. These are generally smaller than the other lettuce types, and the leaves are not as tightly packed as they are with crispheads. The leaves are more tender than those of the crispheads, though. This lettuce's flavor is light and smooth, and is described by some as tasting buttery. Butterhead lettuce contains about 4% of your daily needed iron, 2% of calcium, 3% of vitamin C and 36% of vitamin A.
Leaf lettuce is the fourth type of lettuce. The colors of leaf lettuce can be anywhere from dark green to red. The leaves may be ruffled, or curly. This is a fast growing lettuce, which makes it a natural choice for home gardeners.
There are some notable sub-types of lettuce, too. Boston lettuce has a head that is packed rather loosely, and the leaves are green and soft. It's a very tender and sweet type. Bibb lettuce is more expensive than Boston lettuce, although the two are related. Bibb lettuce is usually crisper and smaller than Boston lettuce, too.
Leaf lettuce comes in various colors of green and red. It is not as sweet as the Bibb and Boston lettuce types, but its curly-edged, soft leaves make it great for sandwiches. It also does well in salads. The green variety is a bit sturdier than the red, but both of them can spoil quickly. Leaf lettuce has textures ranging from ruffles to frills and rounded edges. A cup and a half of this type of lettuce provides you with a gram of protein, and excellent amounts of calcium, vitamin C and vitamin A.
Oak leaf, chicory and frisee are lesser-known lettuce types, and they aren't used as often in salads as the better-known types. They are used sometimes in mixes of baby lettuces.