Title: More on Mesclun
Categories: Vegetable Info
Yield: 4 Servings

		By MARIANNE OPHARDT
		Special to the Herald

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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I like to think of mesclun as a "renewable" garden crop. Harvest mesclun by using scissors to snip off the tender leafy tops when the plants are only a couple of inches high.

Because you cut the leaves above the crown, the plants continue to grow, and you can cut them again. Never let the plants get any taller than 6 inches.

Seed companies have made it easy to try different mixes by selling packets of seeds containing a mix of different mesclun greens. Plant them in the garden and voila, you have your own mesclun.

Different mesclun mixes are available from a variety of seed companies, including Burpee's, Shepherd's Garden Seeds, The Cook's Garden and Park Seed.

A frequent ingredient of French mesclun salads is purslane. In France, purslane is a cultivated garden crop. This isn't the fat-stemmed, trailing succulent weed from our gardens. It's a more refined purslane with upright stems and a delicate flavor. Purslane is healthy, high in Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E.

A number of the other greens not only taste great but also are good for you, with many being high in vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium.

In addition to taste and health benefits, mesclun beds are a treat to the eye with their different hues of green, yellow, gold and red. You truly do have a garden delight worthy of recognition.

Celebrate "The Year of the Mesclun" by eating a mixed greens salad today and planting a mesclun mix in your garden this spring.

Marianne C. Ophardt is a horticulturist for the Washington State University Cooperative Extension Office in Benton County. Copyright 1997 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. From: Dave Drum Date: 13 Sep 98

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