The beauty - and benefits- of red leaf lettuce

By Shelby Spears
spears@spearsstrong.com

When you think of lettuce, the color red might not come to mind. 

If you're like me, lettuce growing up usually consisted of that pale green head from the grocery store and, as a kid, I likely would have turned up my nose if a red leaf landed on my plate. 

But this beautiful version of lettuce has great health benefits and is just- if not more- as tasty as its greener counterparts. 

In this week's tip from our friends at Yacolt Mountain Farm, we are highlighting lettuce! Last week at the market the farmers featured baby lettuce. Expect a "big heads" at the market tomorrow, says Caroline Swansey of Yacolt Mountain Farm. 

The lettuce from Yacolt boasts a deep and speckled red color, an intentional move by the farmer to get even more nutrients onto your dinner plate. Red lettuce has great nutrients, including a healthy dose of Vitamin A and K, good for eye health, immune support and bone density, according to Livestrong.com. 

Spears Strong is featuring Yacolt Mountain Farm in a weekly blog post. Check back for weekly tips on seasonal veggies! 

Caorline references the book "Eating on the Wildside," by Jo Robinson as her inspiration for growing redder lettuce. 

"Since I read that book I’ve been choosing the seeds to try and get the red speckles in there," she said. 

I'll be adding that book by Robinson, an investigative journalist, to my summer reading list. 

So get your salad forks ready and get to the Camas Farmers Market tomorrow from 3-7 pm. 

Interested in additional expert nutrition advice, healthy recipes and inspiration to live well? Email spears@spearsstrong.com to learn about our online accountability program.