A quick look-up in a dictionary for the word ‘mesclun’ and a general description will be read: a salad made of greens and herbs. A closer look at the different salad mixes in any produce section, and a wide array of baby lettuces and fresh herbs will most likely be found. While many of the greens in the mesclun mix can be grilled or sautéed and served warm when grown larger, the key to mesclun mixes are that they are grown and cut as small leaf lettuces, ensuring they are tender and less bitter than their adult forms.
They are easily grown at home in a container, and the seed mixes vary. The manufacturer’s or grower’s mix may depend on desired salad color, texture, the greens growing times and ultimately the salad’s flavor profile. Check the labels of different brands for a mix that suites a certain taste or growing season and follow the recommended growing instructions.
While adding chopped or shredded iceberg lettuce will give body and crunch to a salad, some leafy vegetables that make up mesclun such as Swiss chard and endive give a healthy boost of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and folate. Here is a guide on five of the most popular greens that make up a general mesclun salad mix and their daily value percentages from a serving size.
What is Mesclun - An Overview of Popular Greens
- Endive – Leaf vegetable that can be eaten raw or cooked. Endive can be found as frisee (curly endive) and escarole (broad leaf endive) and provides both flavor and texture to the mix. Per one-half cup serving, endive adds 11% DV Vit A, 3% DV Vit C, 9% DV Folate.
- Radicchio – Variegated colors in red or green. Gives a nice bitterness and color to a salad. Per 1 cup shredded, radicchio gives 6% DV Folate, 5% DV each Vit A and C and has 37mg Omega-6 fatty acids.
- Arugula – This leafy green also goes by the name of rocket or roquette, and adds spice to the salad. Per 1/2 cup serving, arugula leaves give 5% DV Vit A and 2% DV each Vit C and Folate.
- Chard – Also can be found as Swiss chard, chard is the leaves from the beet plant, Beta vulgaris. Per 1 cup raw serving, Swiss chard gives 44% DV Vit A, 18% DV Vit C, 3% DV Vit E and has 22mg Omega-6 fatty acids.
- Dandelion Greens – Not the typical weed, this wider leaf variety gives great flavor and texture to the mix. A 1 cup serving of chopped dandelion greens gives 112% DV Vit A, 32% DV Vit C, 10% DV Calcium, 8% DV Dietary Fiber and gives 144mg Omega-6 fatty acids.
Sources:
Neufeldt, Victoria, Ed. Webster’s New World College Dictionary. 3rd Ed. New York: Simon, 1997.
Nutrition Facts and Analysis found on Nutritiondata.com.
 |
