What are these salad leaves?

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amusedmonkey
amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
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.

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  • butchered_B0nes
    butchered_B0nes Posts: 2 Member
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    Butter leaf?
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    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
    ZoneFive Posts: 570 Member
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    Those look like baby red romaine leaves.
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
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    Probably red chard, possibly Mangold variety.

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  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited July 2017
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    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
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    CyberTone wrote: »
    Probably red chard, possibly Mangold variety.

    cecf94bnqm9u.png

    Yes! That's what they look like! Thank you!
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,964 Member
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    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
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    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
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,964 Member
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    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
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    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
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    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.
  • AllSpiceNice
    AllSpiceNice Posts: 120 Member
    edited July 2017
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    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
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
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    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
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,964 Member
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    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
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
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    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...

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  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    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
    AllSpiceNice Posts: 120 Member
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    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?

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