Organic Batavia Lettuce Reine des Glaces - Lactuca sativa

The Batavia Ice Queen Lettuce or Beauregard Frisée is a summer variety that tolerates heat well. Its center forms a very small head and the outer leaves are light green, crisp, and slightly laciniate, giving the overall appearance a slightly unkempt look. Its flavor is absolutely remarkable. It can be sown from February to July for a harvest 8 to 10 weeks later.

If lettuce is one of the most popular vegetables (4.2 kilograms per person per year), it is appreciated for its freshness, crunch, as well as its taste and nutritional qualities. It can be consumed raw in salads but also cooked, for example, to accompany peas.

As the quintessential leafy vegetable, lettuce is an annual plant that belongs to the large Asteraceae family. Its Latin name, Lactuca sativa, refers both to the white sap (lactuca) that flows when it is cut and to the fact that it is cultivated (sativa).

It is an essential vegetable in any respectable vegetable garden, and there are so many varieties that it can be grown almost all year round.

Growing lettuce is easy as long as you follow the cultivation calendar for each variety. Its growth is fast, and it thrives in any soil, as long as it is rich and remains moist.

Harvest: It is simply done with a knife when it reaches maturity.

Storage: Lettuce can be stored for a few days in the refrigerator, but to enjoy its freshness to the fullest, we recommend consuming it immediately after harvesting.

Gardener's tip: During hot summer weather, lettuces exposed to direct sunlight tend to wilt miserably. To prevent this phenomenon, consider protecting them from intense rays using overturned crates. In our garden, summer lettuces are not grown in rows but rather interplanted throughout: at the base of climbing beans, in the midst of cucumbers and squash, whose foliage provides beneficial shade.