Greens Guide
The Better You Know Your Greens, The More Creative and Flavorful You Can Make Your Salad.
Appearance: Baby leaves are small, dark green, and round or serrated; mature leaves are long and serrated.
Taste: Peppery, slightly bitter
Use: Often found as part of a mesclun mix or on its own in bunches or "clamshell" containers, it spices up any salad and complements fruit, cheese, and nuts. Adds a kick to sandwiches in place of traditional lettuce.
Nutritional Bite: One cup provides 10% of daily vitamin A requirements; 4% of vitamin C; and 4% of calcium.
Belgian Endive
Appearance: Long, thin, palegreen
(almost white) leaves
with brighter green tips
Taste: Slightly bitter, crunchy
Use: The whole leaf can hold
pâté or salsa as an appetizer;
chiffonade a portion of the
head of the lettuce and add to
salad; halve a head and grill,
then combine with other grilled
lettuces such as radicchio and
romaine for a warm salad.
Nutritional Bite: A head
(513 g) provides 222% of daily
vitamin A requirements; 56% of
vitamin C; 27% of calcium; and
24% of iron.
Butterhead (Boston, Bibb)
Appearance: Loose green leaves
Taste: Delicate, buttery flavor
Use: Mix with other greens; a
whole leaf can be used as a bed
for vegetable-, chicken-, or eggbased
salads or on sandwiches.
Nutritional Bite: A head
(163 g) provides 108% of daily
vitamin A requirements; 10% of
vitamin C; 6% of calcium; and
11% of iron.
Cabbage (napa, red, green, and bok choy)
Appearance: Napa has long,
wide leaves that are white in
the center and light green on
the edges; red cabbage has
wide, deep-purple leaves; green
cabbage has wide pale-green
leaves; bok choy has pale
crunchy stalks with soft, darkgreen
leaves.
Taste: Mild with crunch
Use: As chiffonade, these cabbages
are a refreshing base for
coleslaw and Asian-style salads
or a nice accent to other greens.
Nutritional Bite: Varies by
type. A head (1,248 g) of regular
cabbage provides 24% of daily
vitamin A requirements; 761% of
vitamin C; 50% of calcium; and
33% of iron.
