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Lamb’s Lettuce Information

Lamb’s lettuce is a nutritious heirloom dark green weedy plant known to grow wild in North America and Europe. Nowadays it is easily cultivated from seed. This leafy green vegetable is also recognized by its other names mâche, vineyard lettuce, corn salad, common corn salad, fetticus, feldsalat, nut lettuce or field salad. It is a low maintenance plant that is easy to grow in the home garden.

What is Lamb’s Lettuce

Although referred to as a lettuce, botanically lamb’s lettuce is different from the common lettuce scientifically known as Lactuca sativa. The botanic name for  mâche  is Valerianella locusta of the family Caprifoliaceae.

Accordingly, Plants For A Future (PFAF) database which contains over 7000 plants, lists no botanic relationship between lamb’s lettuce and regular lettuce as we know it such as green leaf lettuce or red lettuce. However, the PFAF database establishes a number relationships between Valerianella locusta and other plant species.

Consequently, the name lamb’s lettuce is rather an acknowledgement of certain similarities between mâche and regular lettuce. For example, mâche plants are rosette in shape i.e. rose-shaped, which is similar to the common rosette lettuce. 

According to some sources, the name lamb’s lettuce “appears to stem from the fact that it tastes best during lambing season, and some people also call it lamb’s tongue, because the leaves resemble small tongues”. Furthermore, it is also believed in some circles that the name has to do with a striking resemblance in size and shape to the tongue of a lamb. Nonetheless, fact is lamb’s lettuce is botanically not the same as regular lettuce most people are used to.

Origins of Lamb’s Lettuce

The origins of lamb’s lettuce have been identified in Europe. Although corn salad grows in the wild in the United States except some dry parts of the country, it is native to southern Europe. One source carrying quite an extensive write-up on the history of lamb’s lettuce, locates the plant in Shakespeare’s time, a period between 1567 and 1616.

Furthermore, John Gerard, an English herbal doctor, who lived between 1545 and 1612 is said to have written his observations about the Dutch and French visiting England growing the vegetable. His 1597 work the Herball, documenting over 800 plant species contained the first official mention of domesticated lamb’s lettuce.

Vineyard lettuce, as it has been especially known early on, has been part of human diet for thousands of years. The plant’s seeds have reportedly been found at excavation sites of Neolithic and Bronze Age lake dwellings in Switzerland. 

The arrival of lamb’s lettuce on North American soil was by the hand of French settlers. The 3rd U.S. President, Thomas Jefferson, is believed to have cultivated lamb’s lettuce in his Virginia private garden in the 1800s. According to ABSeeds, an Australian based seed producer, it was only in the 1970s that mâche became popular in the United States after a California based grower began cultivating it.

Today, France and the Netherlands are the main producers of lamb’s lettuce. European institutions such as Wageningen University & Research continue to invest in the study and further development of lamb’s lettuce. In the United States, lamb’s lettuce has long gained momentum and is routinely grown from seed in backyard gardens and pots.

Sources of Lamb’s Lettuce Seeds

Commercial Seeds

Although some prefer foraging for mâche, the leafy green is now mostly accessible through intentional cultivation. The most common method of propagating mâche is through seed planting in home gardens. Mâche seeds are commercially available for purchase. Below are some suggested sources.

Picture of Lambs Lettuce Seeds
Lamb’s Lettuce Seeds (Amazon)

These seeds are by Ohio Heirloom Seeds. They are heirloom mâche seeds with an 85% germination rate. The seeds are shipped from Ohio. They are ready for harvest in 45 days.
Picture of Corn Salad
Lamb’s Lettuce Seeds (West Coast Seeds)

These are mâche seeds by Canada based West Coast Seeds. The seeds can be shipped to the US and other parts of the world. 1 gram packet has over 400 seeds. The seeds are open pollinated and mature in 50 days.
Picture of Kingseeds Corn Salad
Lamb’s Lettuce Seeds (KingSeeds UK)

These seeds are available in the UK through KingSeeds.  A pack has 450 seeds. Once the plant germinates, the leaves can be picked early as baby salad leaves. This is however not unique to these seeds as all mâche can be harvested early for baby leaves.

Saving Seed

Yet another viable method of cultivating lamb’s lettuce is through saving seed. This is achieved by letting some of the plants go to seed. The plants are let to dry out to a point just before they drop their seeds. The plants are then harvested by cutting the stem close to ground level. 

Each plant is placed in its own bag and shaken to force the seeds to drop and collect in the bag. The seeds are then separated from the rest of the plant material and stored in a dry and dark place. This process is repeated for each plant. The seeds can now be planted next season.

Self-Sowing

Lamb’s lettuce can also be cultivated by way of allowing it to self-sow. The plant is allowed to go to seed. However, instead of shaking the plant in a bag to collect seed as per earlier method, the plant is allowed to drop its seed into the garden. 

Once the season comes around the plants will germinate in place. This method allows year after year propagation of lamb’s lettuce without any further work on the grower’s part. Mâche will simply be following its age old wild growing pattern.

Lamb’s Lettuce Benefits

According to an article which appeared in the journal Foods (2021), lamb’s lettuce contains phenolic compounds.

Another study which appeared in the journal Biotechnology Reports (2019) states that phenolic compounds as found in mâche when absorbed through intestinal tract walls, “are beneficial to human health due to their potential antioxidants and avert the damage of cells resulted from free-radical oxidation reactions”.

The following are some benefits derived from lamb’s lettuce.

  • Anti-diabetic
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Antioxidant
  • Anticancer
  • Anti-microbial
  • Neuroprotective
  • Stress relief
  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin B9
  • Vitamin C
  • Potassium 
  • Iron

Growing Lamb’s Lettuce

Growing lamb’s lettuce in the home garden is easy. Mâche grows very well in full sun or partial shade. It is however prone to early seeding in warm climates. The soil should be slightly acidic or neutral mixed with some compost for fertility.

Lamb’s lettuce is planted 2 inches (5cm) apart and 1/4 inches (0.6cm) or 12 inch (30cm) deep. Watering should be moderate and completely avoided when temperatures are -10 degrees. Watering the plants under these conditions would result in the leaves potentially freezing and damaging. Lamb’s lettuce can be successfully grown in US zones 5+ and at temperatures below −20 °F  or −28.9 °C.

According to the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2018), mineral nutrition and environmental stresses have an impact on lamb’s lettuce plant development and yield which also affect the quality of the leafy greens. Reduced fertilization levels or salinity are potential stresses that have been found to affect the quality of  mâche that is finally harvested.

Harvesting Lamb’s Lettuce

Picture showing Lamb's lettuce harvest with scissors
Harvesting lamb’s lettuce using a scissors

The lamb’s lettuce rosettes are usually harvested when they are about 2 to 4 inches or 5 to 10 cm wide.  The grower has the option to pick seeds or harvest the whole plant. A kitchen scissors or vegetable shear is used to harvest the whole rosette at soil level. 

Once harvested, the lettuce will remain good for a further two weeks. The quality of the leafy green is preserved from harvest by deliberate storage in a lettuce keeper. We suggest this one as seen on amazon.

Lamb’s Lettuce Recipes

Lamb’s lettuce is primarily cultivated for human consumption. Although it can be sautéed in some recipes, it is mostly consumed raw. The vegetable is general not good for consumption by children younger than 2 years unless when served in a special mixture such as a puree.

Mâche has a subtle nutty flavor and taste. It can be used in salad mixes with other lettuces or leafy greens or on its own.  The following are our suggested recipes making use of lamb’s lettuce.

Lamb’s Lettuce Beetroot Mixed Salad Recipe – This recipe is designed to produce a healthy salad mix which is plentiful in omega 3, vitamins and minerals. It takes 10 minutes to make and includes other ingredients such as cooked beetroot, radishes, pine nuts and ground pepper. View Recipe.
Corn Salad with Cucumber, Radishes and Sprouts Recipe – This recipe is a similarly quick and easy one to accomplish in just 15 minutes. It calls for 50 grams lamb’s lettuce. Other ingredients include spring onion, cheese and pomegranate seeds. The lettuce leaves are carefully washed first and then spin dried. View Recipe.

Vineyard lettuce with Oranges and Grains Recipe – Compared to the other recipes above, this recipe calls for a bunch of ingredients which makes it a bit more complex but nevertheless scrumptious. It will require 3 oz or 85 grams of lamb’s lettuce. Also included is sliced red cabbage, honey, white vinegar, and two blood oranges among other ingredients. View Recipe.
Corn Salad with Feta and Tomatoes Recipe – This is 10 minute tasty salad recipe involving 100 grams lamb’s lettuce and 50 grams feta, tomatoes and croutons made from stale bread among other ingredients. The salad will have a dressing made from bell peppers, mustard, olive oil and sweet moscatel vinegar. View Recipe.

Conclusion

Lamb’s lettuce is a nutritious ancient leafy green that goes by a variety of other names. Although it started off wild, it is now routinely grown by home gardeners. In as much as it is referred to as a lettuce, it is not in any way related to regular lettuce whose botanical name is Lactuca sativa. Mâche, as it is also commonly known, is a healthy vegetable which contains phenolic compounds, themselves antioxidants with a variety of health benefits. Lamb’s lettuce is mostly eaten raw and is used in the preparation of a variety of salads.

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