What's New: Salad Greens [June]

Just the Facts

• Americans eat about 30 pounds of lettuce every year. That’s about five times more than what we ate in the early 1900s.
• In the United States, lettuce is the second most popular fresh vegetable.
• The salad green variety referred to as mache is also nicknamed lamb’s lettuce for its tender, velvety leaves.
• The ancient wild relative of lettuce contained a sedative-like compound. Ancient Romans and Egyptians would take advantage of this property by eating lettuce at the end of a meal to help induce sleep.

HOME GROWN FACTS
Did You Know? Salad Greens

• California is the number one producer of leaf lettuce in the country.
• In addition to the main lettuce varieties (butterhead, romaine, red and green leaf), other California grown lettuce varieties include bok choy, bibb lettuce, cilantro, endive, escarole, green cabbage, iceberg lettuce, Italian parsley, kale, Napa cabbage, parsley, radicchio and red cabbage.
• The coastal counties of Monterey, San Benito, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz account for a high percentage of California’s production.
• Spring and fall production occurs for brief periods in the San Joaquin Valley. Winter production occurs in the desert areas including Imperial Valley and regions on the border of Arizona.
  

For more information, visit:
www.calettuceresearchboard.org

Download this month's:
Educator Newsletter (PDF)
Family Newsletter (PDF, English) ... Spanish
Menu Slick (PDF, English) ... Spanish

Health and Learning Success Go Hand-in-Hand
With California’s bountiful summer harvest, it is a great time to demonstrate to students how they can eat a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables every day. Teaching students about healthy eating and the importance of regular physical activity may improve their focus, memory and overall classroom behavior. Harvest of the Month connects with core curricula to give students the chance to explore, taste and learn about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables. It links the classroom, cafeteria, home and community to motivate and support students to make healthy food choices and be physically active every day.

©2007 California Department of Public Health | Public Health Institute | Acknowledgements |
Visit or return to the Network for a Healthy California website at: www.networkforahealthycalifornia.net or Champions for Change www.cachampionsforchange.net. For more information, contact info@cachampionsforchange.net or info@harvestofthemonth.com.