I found out for the first time today that the type of lettuce we call cos is what Americans call romaine. I have wondered what romaine was every time I read about it in a recipe!
I like cos lettuce because it has a stronger flavour than iceberg and grows better in dry conditions than many other varieties of lettuce. It is the variety traditional used in Caesar salad.
Rather than buy seedlings, this year I sowed cos lettuce seeds and they have germinated well in quite cold conditions. Sometimes I pick a whole plant if the seedlings are growing too crowded but mostly I pick the leaves rather than the whole plants. The young leaves are lovely mixed with rocket (arugula) in a simple green salad.
In the past (in Melbourne) I found cos to cope better with frost than other lettuces - but we don't suffer from severe frosts so I can't guarantee this for all situations.
I think salad is going to be on the menu at our red house quite a lot over the next few weeks!
What did you harvest this week?
