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Spring Greens
Arugula
Dark green jagged leaves with a hearty, peppery flavor and a delicate texture. Good raw or cooked.
Mixes well with other greens and is great in salads and sandwiches. Arugula has a short storage time,
so it is best eaten within a day or two of purchase.
Beet Green s
Bright green leaves offset by red stems and veins; often available bunched with their roots (beets).
One of the mildest greens, it is slightly sweet with very tender leaves. Beet greens cook quickly, and
are very tender and highly versatile. Can be blanched, steamed or sautéed.
Dandelion Greens
Pungent flavored green with deeply notched leaves. These are a sharper version of arugula, spicy and
bitter. They have a limited growing season. When the leaves are small, dandelion greens are
wonderful raw; when the leaves are longer and tougher, try braising or sautéing them.
Spinach
Tender, sweet green leaves that cook quickly. Fresh raw spinach tastes like a richly flavored lettuce.
Spinach is extremely versatile.
Mâche
Also called Corn Salad or Lamb’s Lettuce, mâche is a small green that grows in rosette-shaped
bunches. It has dark green leaves on short stems and has a distinct sweet taste. This is a cold coldloving green that makes its appearances in mid-spring and again in the fall. This green has soft
delicate leaves.
Frisée (Curly Endive)
Frisée is a fragile curly lettuce that has a slightly peppery or nutty taste. It has wide leaves in shades
of green or sometimes red, or simply green with red on the edges. The leaves are long tender and
joined to a short whitish stem. To revive limp frisée lettuce, you can stick it first into lukewarm
water and then into ice water to shock it.
Lollo Biando
Lollo Biando is a loose leaf lettuce, with a bit more bitterness than many other lettuces. It has soft,
ruffled leaves that are a medium-green in color.
Radicchio
Also known as Italian Chicory, Radicchio is a mildly bitter tasting leafy vegetable.
Mizuna
A Japanese mustard green who’s name literally means “water vegetable” referring to the water
retained in the juicy stalks. The leaves are feather shaped with a peppery taste. Can be substituted for
Arugula
Chard - Red or Green
Chard is a member of the beet family vegetable with crinkly green leaves and celery like stalks. Chard
is fairly mild and has a sweetness to it. Stalks can very from a light silvery to deep red color. Red
chard has green leaves and red stalks. Green chard has green leaves with white. The two are
interchangeable in most recipes. When selecting chard, look for crisp stalks. Chard can be stored in
the refrigerator for about 3 days.
Red Leaf Lettuce
Good-quality red leaf lettuce will have fairly large, loose heads and thick, "crumpled" leaves. The
leaves will be medium to dark-red in color at the ends. The rest of the leaves are medium to darkgreen blending into white veins. You can scratch the stalk and smell. A sweet or bitter smell means
the lettuce has a sweet or bitter flavor.
Tango
A loose leaf variety of lettuce with broad green leaves that looks similar to curly endive. Tango
Lettuce leaves have frilly edges with darker green coloring, especially around the outer edges. The
stalk and leaves of the Tango Lettuce are tangy flavored.
Mustard Greens
The Joys of Spring Greens
Flavors
Spring is the time for the flavors of leafy greens: sweet, bitter, earthy, pungent, peppery and sharp.
As leafy greens have a wide array of flavors, you will always be able to select the perfect match for
your recipe. Young plants generally have small, tender leaves with a mild flavor. Many mature plants
have leaves that tougher with stronger flavors. Choose mild flavored greens, such as spinach,
collards or chard when you want their flavor to blend well with other ingredients in your dish. Kale
is a green that has a medium sharpness. Stronger flavored greens, such as arugula, mizuna, or
mustard are good alone or with complementary flavors. Combine mild and strong flavored greens
together to create a balanced tasting dish.
Nutritional Highlights
Leafy Greens provide a wide array of nutrients including fiber, antioxidants, calcium, iron, folic acid
and chlorophyll (the green pigment found in plant cells). Many varieties of leafy greens, are also rich
sources of vitamins K, C, & A. Green are also rich in folate, magnesium, and potassium.
Selecting fresh greens
When shopping for greens, always look for crisp leaves with a vibrant color. Stems should appear
freshly cut, the leaves should be crisp. Yellowing can be a sign of age and may indicate that the
greens may have a bitter flavor. One pound of untrimmed greens will typically serve two to three
people. This may look like a lot when raw, most greens cook down considerably.
Storage and cleaning
Most greens can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. Collards or kale can be wrapped in a
damp towel and placed in an open plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Chard,
escarole, chicory, rabe and mustard greens store well in a plastic bag with perforation. All greens will
lose their "bounce" in the refrigerator, so it is optimal to purchase them on the day you plan to
prepare them. Tender, delicate leaves such as beet greens wilt very quickly, so use them as soon as
possible.
For more about greens including great recipes go to:
www.recipetips.com
www.gourmetsleuth.com
www.theworldwidegourmet.com
Julie Caruso, RD, CD