Red Miners Lettuce
Estimated Inventory, lb : 0
Description/Taste
Red Miner’s lettuce is small in size, averaging fifteen centimeters in height, and grows in clusters of thin stems with heart to triangular shaped leaves. The tender, crisp, dark green leaves grow in a basal rosette pattern, producing miniature flowering clusters in shades of white and pink. The rhubarb-colored stems are tubular, smooth, and delicate and as the stem connects to the leaves, some red hues may fade into the underside. Once the plant has reached maturity, it will form egg-shaped seed pods that contain up to six seeds. The entire plant is edible, including the roots, flowers, and seeds, with the leaves being mild and the roots, flowers, and seeds having a more pronounced earthiness.
Seasons/Availability
Red Miner's lettuce is available in the winter through spring.
Current Facts
Red Miner’s lettuce, botanically classified as Claytonia rubra, is an annual green that is a member of the Montiaceae family. Also known as the Red-Stemmed Spring Beauty and Erubescent Miner’s lettuce, Red Miner’s lettuce is found in the wild more than it is cultivated and grows prolifically in shady areas in coastal sage, fields, gardens, woodlands, and forests. Red Miner's lettuce is favored by foragers and home gardeners for its rapid growth, ability to be harvested multiple times throughout the season, and for its crisp, sweet flavor to be used in both fresh and cooked applications.
Nutritional Value
Red Miner’s lettuce is an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin A and also contains iron, beta-carotene, and protein.
Applications
Red Miner’s lettuce is best suited for both raw and cooked applications such as steaming, boiling, stir-frying or sautéing. Used similarly to spinach, Red Miner’s lettuce is most commonly used fresh in salads with other greens such as mizuna, red frill mustard, and butter lettuce, or it is often displayed on appetizer plates as an edible garnish. It can also be cooked and served with meat dishes, paired with other spring vegetables, mixed into soups, or added to pesto. The flowers, leaves, and stems are all edible and can be cooked in delicate flavors as to not overpower the leave’s mild taste. Red Miner’s lettuce pairs well with radish, red onion, cucumbers, green apples, rhubarb, bitter greens, sesame seeds, vinaigrettes, and sharp or aged cheeses. The leaves will keep 3-4 days when stored in a sealed container with a damp paper towel in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
Miner’s lettuce gets its name from the workers who traveled to California during the Gold Rush. Needing a source of vitamin C, gold miners quickly discovered from the Native Americans that Miner’s lettuce could be consumed both raw or cooked to prevent scurvy and other vitamin C related issues. Gold miners ate the plant in abundance as it was widely found growing wild in California. Miner’s lettuce was also used as a poultice to soothe burns and skin irritations.
Geography/History
Miner’s lettuce is native to the western coastal and mountain regions of North America and was spread to Europe in the late 1700s when it was brought back from an expedition to the new world. Today Red Miner’s lettuce is widely found in the wild and at specialty grocers in North America, Central America, Europe, and Australia.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Red Miners Lettuce. One
is easiest, three is harder.| Fat of the Land |
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Miners Lettuce Smoothie |
