What are these salad leaves?

amusedmonkey

Recently bought these because I got curious and I enjoyed them a lot. I want to know what to ask for when I go looking for them again.

butchered_B0nes

Butter leaf?

JeromeBarry1

Red. Buy the red leaves, not the green ones. There's an app you can get on your smartphone that can identify the species of leaves from a picture.

ZoneFive

Those look like baby red romaine leaves.

CyberTone

Probably red chard, possibly Mangold variety.

amusedmonkey

I don't think it's romaine. It has an earthy slightly bitter taste with an aftertaste kind of reminiscent of beetroot and has a more delicate and less watery leaf than lettuce. They're about the size of a bay leaf.

amusedmonkey

CyberTone wrote: »

Probably red chard, possibly Mangold variety.

Yes! That's what they look like! Thank you!

lynn_glenmont

Just FYI -- if you were eating it in a salad, it was most likely baby or spring chard (and that's what it looks like) -- not to say you can't get it year-round from growers who plant new crops, but if you just ask for red chard, you might get a mature stem and leaves that are generally cooked before eating (like kale and mustard greens, etc.).

amusedmonkey

lynn_glenmont wrote: »

Just FYI -- if you were eating it in a salad, it was most likely baby or spring chard (and that's what it looks like) -- not to say you can't get it year-round from growers who plant new crops, but if you just ask for red chard, you might get a mature stem and leaves that are generally cooked before eating (like kale and mustard greens, etc.).

Thank you. That's good to know. The salad had baby arugula and some other baby leaves too, so this is likely the case. I definitely want them raw. That earthy raw flavor is what got me excited about them.

lynn_glenmont

amusedmonkey wrote: »

lynn_glenmont wrote: »

Just FYI -- if you were eating it in a salad, it was most likely baby or spring chard (and that's what it looks like) -- not to say you can't get it year-round from growers who plant new crops, but if you just ask for red chard, you might get a mature stem and leaves that are generally cooked before eating (like kale and mustard greens, etc.).

Thank you. That's good to know. The salad had baby arugula and some other baby leaves too, so this is likely the case. I definitely want them raw. That earthy raw flavor is what got me excited about them.

Yeah, where I live I've only ever seen baby chard sold as part of a "spring mix" or mesclun, never on its own. I like it too.

MelanieCN77

I think this is in the Vons/Pavilions herb salad which is really great if you can find it. More exciting than spring mix. Goes bad quite quick.

amusedmonkey

I think it was a spring mix. I don't have many options. Even this one was a one off that I found by chance. It's good to know what it is, though, on the off chance I ask for it at some trendy grocery shop and find it.

MaddMaestro

I seriously thought this was going to be a satire thread of someone trying to eat healthy.

"What is this leafy green thing I have to eat??"

LOL

AllSpiceNice

You mentioned it tasted similar to beetroot...it could be baby beetroot greens. I have some growing for the roots...but when I thin the seedlings I put the cuttings into my salad. Here's a picture...the leaves are bright red when young, getting greener as they get older & larger.

ETA: Baby beetroot greens are a common addition to store bought spring mixes. Super easy and cheap to grow your own. :-)

CyberTone

AllSpiceNice wrote: »

You mentioned it tasted similar to beetroot...it could be baby beetroot greens. I have some growing for the roots...but when I thin the seedlings I put the cuttings into my salad. Here's a picture...the leaves are bright red when young, getting greener as they get older & larger.

ETA: Baby beetroot greens are a common addition to store bought spring mixes. Super easy and cheap to grow your own. :-)

Right. Both beetroot and chard are classified as beta vulgaris. There are a number of different varieties though; some are grown for the beetroot while others are grown for their tender young leaves.

lynn_glenmont

AllSpiceNice wrote: »

You mentioned it tasted similar to beetroot...it could be baby beetroot greens. I have some growing for the roots...but when I thin the seedlings I put the cuttings into my salad. Here's a picture...the leaves are bright red when young, getting greener as they get older & larger.

ETA: Baby beetroot greens are a common addition to store bought spring mixes. Super easy and cheap to grow your own. :-)

There's your solution, @amusedmonkey -- if you can't find them at the grocery store, and only want to grow them big enough for baby leaves, you won't even need much space -- you could probably even do it inside on a sunny window sill.

PaulaWallaDingDong

MaddMaestro wrote: »

I seriously thought this was going to be a satire thread of someone trying to eat healthy.

"What is this leafy green thing I have to eat??"

LOL

This was the first thing I thought of...

amusedmonkey

Interesting. I might will look into growing them. We have a garden with plenty of space, so space is not an issue. How does it handle heat?

AllSpiceNice

I have them planted in full sun, in the Portland Oregon area. They grow very well for us here.

amusedmonkey wrote: »

Interesting. I might will look into growing them. We have a garden with plenty of space, so space is not an issue. How does it handle heat?