With its delightfully mild, nutty flavor and velvety soft leaves, mache lettuce makes a tasty addition to salads, sandwiches, and more. But where can you purchase this unique green in your area? In this article, we’ll explore options for buying mache lettuce locally or online for home delivery.
What is Mache Lettuce?
Also known as lamb’s lettuce or corn salad mache (pronounced “mah-shay”) is a leafy European green that thrives in cool weather. Its small spoon-shaped leaves grow in loose rosettes close to the ground.
Compared to crisphead and leaf lettuces, mache offers a more delicate, buttery texture. It can be eaten raw or lightly cooked, lending a subtle sweet, nutty quality. Mache stays tender even as it bolts, making the entire plant edible.
Rich in vitamins A, C, and folate, mache supplies nutritious benefits as well. It’s an excellent source of antioxidants like quercetin too. Both the leaves and stems contain the healthful compounds.
Where to Buy Mache Lettuce Locally
Check these locations in your area to find fresh mache lettuce
- Farmers markets – Ask vendors if they grow and sell mache. Being a cool weather crop, it thrives in spring and fall.
- Specialty produce markets – Stores focused on local, organic produce often carry unique greens like mache.
- CSA farm boxes – Many community supported agriculture programs offer mache. Sign up for weekly produce deliveries.
- Farm stands – Drive past farms around rural areas to find mache for sale directly from the grower.
- Ethnic grocery stores – European and Italian markets sometimes stock fresh mache in the produce section.
- Garden centers – A few may sell edible starter plants you can grow at home. Check for mache in spring.
- Restaurant suppliers – Commercial suppliers to chefs may sell cases of mache to public. Call to ask about availability.
Purchasing Mache Lettuce Online
If you can’t find mache locally ordering online is convenient
- Amazon Fresh – Offers mache for 1-2 day delivery in certain regions. Prime members get free shipping.
- Instacart – Lets you add mache while ordering groceries from local stores for fast delivery.
- Walmart Grocery – Browse the produce section for mache available in your zip code. Arrange convenient delivery time.
- FreshDirect – Offers next day delivery of mache lettuce and other fresh products in select metro areas.
- Imperfect Foods – This discount food site sells “ugly” mache at great prices shipped to your door.
- Specialty produce sites – Retailers like Melissa’s Produce sell and ship fresh mache nationwide.
- Etsy growers – Some independent farmers sell mache seeds, starts, or greens on this handmade marketplace.
What to Look for When Buying Mache Lettuce
To get the best quality mache for your recipes, keep these things in mind:
- Seek out smaller, tender leaves. Large, mature leaves may be bitter and tough.
- Leaves should appear fresh, crisp and bright green. Avoid any browning, sliminess or wilting.
- Look for cleanly cut stems rather than ragged ones, which signal possible rot.
- Opt for mache heads with roots attached for longest shelf life.
- Organic greens are preferred to limit pesticide residues.
- Locally grown mache, sold in season, will be freshest.
- For pre-packaged mache, check sell-by dates and signs of moisture damage.
How to Store and Prepare Fresh Mache Lettuce
Once home, use these tips for storing and serving your flavorful mache:
- Rinse leaves gently under cool water right before using. Don’t soak pre-cut mache as it absorbs water quickly.
- Dry well with paper towels or a salad spinner. Remove any bruised outer leaves.
- Keep fresh mache refrigerated up to one week. Wrap roots in damp paper towels, or store loose leaves in an airtight container.
- Add mache raw to salads, sandwiches, tacos, pizza and more. Its tender texture doesn’t require cooking.
- For warm dishes, add leaves at the last minute. Quick sautés or wilting preserves taste and nutrients best.
Creative and Nutritious Ways to Use Mache Lettuce
Beyond basic salads, incorporate mache into all kinds of healthy recipes:
- Toss mache with mixed baby greens for an easy side salad. Dress with a simple vinaigrette.
- Layer mache on sandwiches instead of traditional lettuce for a delicate flavor.
- Use as cup-shaped “boats” for chicken, tuna, and other salad fillings.
- Fill halved roasted sweet potatoes with mache, smoked salmon, and lemon vinaigrette.
- Sauté briefly in olive oil with garlic and chili flakes for a warm salad.
- Puree into a creamy gazpacho-style chilled soup with cucumber and avocado.
- Omelettes and frittatas gain color and nutrition when finished with fresh mache.
- Scatter mache over flatbread or pizza just after baking for a final fresh accent.
However you enjoy it, tender mache lettuce provides a sweet, buttery addition to meals. Seek it out at farmers markets, grocers, or order online for home delivery.
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When I spot Epic Roots mache in the salad greens aisle, I invariably start humming Macho Man, the 1970s dance tune by the Village People. The pronunciation of the word has more in common with 1980s mosh pits opens in a new tab (rhymes with posh), but Ill use any excuse to hum the tunes of my youth-in the grocery store, of course.
Yet beyond my in-store musical salute to the waning days of disco, what Im really excited about is the novelty and sweet flavor of this salad green. I eat a lot of leafy greens and raw vegetables, and even with a plate of frilly bits (as I refer to mesclun), I longed for something new and different to chew on. Frilly bits were starting to feel so 1990s.
I had been reading about lambs lettuce opens in a new tab, as mache is also known, for a few years, and last growing season even purchased seeds so that I could grow it at home. At the time, mache wasnt easy to find in Texas, and in the Lone Star State, we home gardeners are typically able to grow salad greens in the seven cooler months of the year. Sadly, my first efforts came to little, due to overzealous thinning.
By now, though, many Whole Foods Markets carry mache, either on its own or in mixes. The real pleasures of this rosette-patterned green are its substantial, yet tender texture, and the taste, which is a mild, nutty-tasting foil to other, slightly bitter winter greens like arugula.
Cultivated in Europe since the 17th century, mache is still somewhat of a specialty green in the United States. However, NPR opens in a new tab did a piece on mache a few years ago, so it could even overtake arugula in popularity over time.
Because of its low growing habit and size, mache is typically harvested by hand, leading to a slightly higher price compared to other salad greens in the produce aisle. Lets take a look beyond its upfront cost to value, especially nutritional value. A 50 gram serving of mache (an amount that would be the basis for an entrée-sized salad) can provide nearly 30% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin C. That same 50 grams weighs in at around 10 calories. Packed full of beta-carotene and Omega 3s, the soft, buttery leaves also provide plenty of antioxidants. Plus mache provides nearly a third more iron than a comparable amount of spinach.
For this enthralled fan, the flavor and texture more than make up for the few extra cents Im spending per salad. Since Im in the early phases of infatuation, Im still eating my mache in rainbow-hued raw salads, but Ive also thrown it into soups and sautéed some along with spinach and green onions in a light olive oil. If youd like to try something a bit fancier, this Crawfish Cakes with Wild Ramps, Mache Salad and Orange Chili Vinaigrette opens in a new tab recipe looks luscious! Or try the recipes on the Epic Roots opens in a new tab website.
Now to get those seeds planted again…
I’m Hooked on Growing Mache (Lambs Lettuce, Corn Salad)
FAQ
What is another name for mâche lettuce?
Common names include lamb’s lettuce, common cornsalad, or simply cornsalad, mâche (/mɑːʃ/), fetticus, feldsalat, nut lettuce, field salad, and valerian salad.
Is mâche the same as lamb’s lettuce?
However, there is one amazing plant that can provide fresh leaves when others are dormant: lamb’s lettuce (also known as mâche or corn salad). Lamb’s lettuce has its origins as a weed which was found growing among cereal crops in Europe.
What is a substitute for mâche salad?
Mâche, or lamb’s lettuce, is a tender, nutty green. If it’s unavailable, try watercress as a delicious substitute.
What is lamb’s lettuce called in the USA?
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Terroir Seedshttps://store.underwoodgardens.comCorn Salad/Lamb’s Lettuce/Mache Seeds – (Valerianella locusta)Corn Salad/Lamb’s Lettuce/Mache – Delectable Cool Weather Green. Corn Salad is an ancient green that grows wild in Europe and was foraged by peasants for centur…
What is mache lettuce?
Mache, also known as corn lettuce or rapunzel, is a small and tender variety of lettuce that has soft, dark green leaves. It’s high in vitamin C and is known for its distinct sweet taste.
What are the different types of mache lettuce?
There are many different varieties of mache that can be divided into two types: small-seeded and large-seeded. The small-seeded mache lettuce grows best when planted in cold weather months and the large-seeded type in warmer months. As a plant, mache lettuce looks like low growing green rosettes.
What does mache lettuce look like?
The small-seeded mache lettuce grows best when planted in cold weather months and the large-seeded type in warmer months. As a plant, mache lettuce looks like low growing green rosettes. Its leaves typically have an elongated spoon shape or in some cases they may have a more rounded appearance.
Can you grow lamb’s lettuce in Texas?
I had been reading about lamb’s lettuce, as mache is also known, for a few years, and last growing season even purchased seeds so that I could grow it at home. At the time, mache wasn’t easy to find in Texas, and in the Lone Star State, we home gardeners are typically able to grow salad greens in the seven cooler months of the year.