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Title: More On Mesclun
Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients

      1    by marianne ophardt
      1    special to the herald

Instructions

It seems strange the National Garden Bureau named 1997 "The Year of
the Mesclun."

What on earth is mesclun? And why is it being recognized by a national
organization?

I saw mesclun once in a trendy garden catalog, but most seed catalogs
have simply called it "salad greens" in the past. (Mesclun is a French
term used for a mix of tender young salad greens).

Until recently, I was content with plain iceberg lettuce as the
foundation for my salads. It didn't have a lot of flavor, nor was it
exceedingly healthy, but it tasted good enough smothered in salad
dressing.

Then I was introduced to Caesar salads, and my taste for "greens"
changed. Now I'm a fan of mixed salad greens and crave romaine lettuce
blends with arugula, endive and parsley.

No longer will I be satisfied with a plebeian salad composed of
iceberg lettuce, tiny tomatoes and grated carrots covered with blue
cheese dressing.

The mesclun tradition comes to us from the south of France, where the
traditional salad is a mix of lamb's lettuce, dandelion and endive in
varying proportions.

"Mesclun" comes from the Nicois word mesclumo, which means mixture.
French mesclun also may include arugula, groundsel, chervil, salsify,
purslane, oakleaf lettuce and other wild and cultivated greens.

The French dress their salad with a vinaigrette dressing made from
olive oil seasoned with herbs and garlic.

Americans have put their stamp on mesclun by including a variety of
other salad greens, arugula, mustard, purslane, chicory, cress,
parsley, fennel and escarole.

And we're eschewing iceberg lettuce for more flavorful foundations for
our salads, including bibb, Romaine, oakleaf and crisphead lettuces.

It's easy to alter mesclun to suit individual tastes. Chefs who want
to add bite can increase the percentage of the peppery greens, such as
mustard, cress, chicory and arugula. For milder tastes, just increase
the proportion of lettuce.

Grocery stores continually add more varieties of mixed greens. But the
Mid-Columbia's hot summers and bright sun limit their availability in
the garden.

Most of the mesclun greens do best in cool weather and should do well
if grown in early spring and later in the fall. The seeds can be sown
outside about two weeks before the last frost date - mid-April or a
little earlier should work fairly well.

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