California Lettuce

Lettuce can be classified into various categories with the most common being:

Types of Lettuce

1. Romaine – This is your classic Greek salad. Sweet and crunchy.

2. Crisphead – Iceberg. White on the inside. Crisp texture and mild taste.

3. Butterhead – Boston and Bibb. Large green leaves that are soft and sweet.

4. Red and Green Leaf – Delicate taste and leaves.

Romaine delivers significantly more vitamin A, while green leaf is the best source of vitamin K.
Iceberg has the least nutrients overall because it grows in a tighter head, so the inner leaves get less sunlight, remain lighter green and have fewer nutrients. If you disregard minimal differences in nutrients, green leaf lettuce has more protein, calcium and seven out of nine vitamins, so it could be considered the most nutritious. Iceberg is a head lettuce that is very low in nutritional value and flavor. The most abundant nutrient in iceberg lettuce is water. Dark green lettuce leaves always indicate higher fiber, flavor and nutritional value. The spine and ribs of lettuce provide dietary fiber, while vitamins and minerals are concentrated in the delicate leaf portion.

Romaine: Also known as Cos, this variety of head forming lettuce has deep green, long leaves with a crisp texture and deep taste.
Crisphead: With green leaves on the outside and whitish ones on the inside, this variety of head lettuce has a crisp texture and a watery, mild taste. The best known variety of crisphead lettuce is iceberg.
Butterhead: These types of lettuce feature tender large leaves that form a loosely arranged head that is easily separated from the stem, a sweet flavor and a soft texture. The best known varieties of Butterhead lettuce include Boston and Bibb.
Leaf: Featuring broad, curly leaf varieties that are green and/or red, the leaf lettuces offer a delicate taste and a mildly crispy texture. Best known varieties of leaf lettuce include green leaf and red leaf. Regardless of the type, all lettuces should feature crisp looking, unwilted leaves that are free of dark or slimy spots. In addition, the leaves' edges should be free of brown or yellow discoloration. Lettuces such as Romaine and Boston should have compact heads and stem ends that are not too brown.

Since different types of lettuce have different qualities, different methods should be used when storing. Romaine and leaf lettuce should be washed and dried before storing in the refrigerator to remove their excess moisture, while Boston lettuce need not be washed before storing. A salad spinner can be very helpful in the drying of lettuce (and other salad ingredients as well). These lettuces should be either stored in a plastic bag or wrapped in a damp cloth and stored in the refrigerator crisper.

To store arugula, watercress and other types of salad greens that are sold with their roots attached, wrap the roots in a damp paper towel and place the entire greens in a plastic bag.

Romaine lettuce will keep for five to seven days, Boston and leaf lettuce for two to three days, while fragile greens such as arugula and watercress ideally should be prepared the day of purchase. All types of lettuce should be stored away from ethylene-producing fruits, such as apples, bananas and pears, since they will cause the lettuce leaves to brown.

California lettuce crops lead the nation:
Lettuce, Head
Lettuce, Leaf
Lettuce, Romaine

Lettuce as export 20th rank commodity
Export to Canada
2
Canada $3.491 billion
$3,491,000,000 Wine, Strawberries, Lettuce

California
Milk — $9.4 billion
Almonds — $5.9 billion
Grapes — $5.2 billion
Cattle, Calves — $3.7 billion
Strawberries — $2.5 billion
Lettuce — $2 billion
Walnuts — $1.8 billion
Tomatoes — $1.6 billion
Pistachios — $1.6 billion
Hay — $1.3 billion

Monterey County lettuce was 2nd commodity (under strawberries) in 2013 & 2014
San Benito County lettuce was 2nd commodity under vegetables

12 month growing season
Lettuce Monterey leads with over 70 percent, Imperial follows with almost 8 percent

Monterey
1 STRAWBERRIES, FRESH MARKET 691,200
2 LETTUCE, HEAD 651,136
3 LETTUCE, ROMAINE 556,624
4 BROCCOLI, FRESH MARKET 323,050
5 GRAPES, WINE 247,357
6 LETTUCE, LEAF 211,979
7 CAULIFLOWER, FRESH MARKET 170,100
8 CELERY, FRESH MARKET 167,245
9 VEGETABLES, UNSPECIFIED 159,702
10 SPINACH, FOOD SERVICE


Value $1,000
Lettuce #8 commodity $2,027,831,000
Monterey 73.2
Imperial 7.7
Santa Barbara 5.3
Fresno 4.4
San Benito 3.3

The total value of California's 2014 fresh and
processing vegetable and melon production was $7.8
billion, up from 2013's revised total of $7.3 billion.
Lettuce remained the leading vegetable crop in value
of production, at $2.0 billion, followed by tomatoes at
$1.6 billion.

14th export with a 10.6% decrease in value in 2014

Estimated Glycemic Load
Lettuce is low in Sodium, and very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Iron and Potassium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate and Manganese.

The bad: A large portion of the calories in this food come from sugars.

Caloric Ratio Pyramid Estimated Glycemic Load

76% 8% 16%
Carbs Fats Protein

1 Estimated Glycemic Load

A cup of shredded lettuce has just 10 calories, 1 gram of fiber, and aside from 20 % of your daily value of vitamin K, no nutrient above 10%

Leafy greens
Yes, they're your favorite go-to salad greens - lettuce, escarole, endive, spinach, cabbage, kale, arugula, and chard. But they also caused 363 outbreaks involving 13,568 reported cases of illness since 1990.

Greens can be contaminated by manure, dirty water rinses, or unwashed hands before you even purchase them. To avoid getting sick, wash produce and prevent cross-contamination (improper handling of meat in the kitchen can spread bacteria to other types of food, including greens) by washing hands and using separate cutting boards.

National Restaurant Association | Restaurant.org/FoodTrends

1 Locally sourced meats and seafood
2 Chef-driven fast-casual concepts
3 Locally grown produce
4 Hyper-local sourcing
5 Natural ingredients/minimally processed food
6 Environmental sustainability
7 Healthful kids' meals
8 New cuts of meat
9 Sustainable seafood
10 House-made/artisan ice cream
11 Ethnic condiments/spices
12 Authentic ethnic cuisine
13 Farm/estate branded items
14 Artisan butchery
15 Ancient grains
16 Ethnic-inspired breakfast items
17 Fresh/house-made sausage
18 House-made/artisan pickles
19 Food waste reduction/management
20 Street food/food trucks

Out by 10% Kale sale
Dark greens out by 7%
Wedge salads

1 Locally grown produce 77% 6% 17%
2 Heirloom apples 65% 15% 21%
3 Organic produce 63% 15% 22%

Ensure safe produce handling

Spring and summer offer a bounty of delicious produce options for restaurateurs and guests. Because fresh produce often is eaten uncooked, everyone who handles produce must be careful to prevent cross-contamination.

To help provide safe produce to guests, keep these tips in mind:

Receiving

Order fresh produce frequently, and set up receiving guidelines. Check delivery truck and containers' condition; look for damage, signs of pests and dirt or debris. When receiving fresh-cut produce, reject items that have passed their expiration dates or haven't been received at the correct temperature.
Accept only produce in good condition. Look for signs of spoilage, such as unusual colors, unpleasant odors, mold or wilting. Reject any produce that shows signs of insect infestation.

Storing

Store raw, whole produce and raw, cut vegetables packed in ice as they are. Containers must be self-draining and ice should be changed regularly.
Don't wash most produce before storing it. Moisture often promotes the growth of mold.
Store cut melons, cut tomatoes, and cut leafy greens at 41 F (5 C) or lower. These items need temperature control to keep them safe.
Avoid cross-contamination in storage. Store produce away from raw meat, poultry and seafood; otherwise, meat juice could drip on produce.
 
Preparing

Wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly under running water. The water should be slightly warmer than the temperature of the produce.
Make sure fruit and vegetables don't come in contact with surfaces exposed to raw meat, poultry and seafood. Prepare fruit and vegetables away from these items.
Clean and sanitize utensils and equipment that will be used to prepare produce. This includes knives and cutting boards.

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