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Advice & More April 2017

The Midnight Gardener

Cut-And-Come-Again

By Lori Rose

Seed companies offer combinations for different seasons, colors and flavors, as well as gourmet, fashionable, antique, tangy, tender, and sweet mixtures. Or, create your own mesclun mix using greens that are suitable for “cut and come again” harvesting. The best part is that they are easy and inexpensive to grow.

Plant seeds of salad greens in mid-late summer to harvest in the fall. Greens grow quickly and actually taste even better when they mature during fall’s cooler temperatures. If you sow the seeds of greens that love cool weather during the hottest days, and keep the little plants well- watered and lightly shaded until the heat has subsided, with a little protection you can continue to eat fresh salads right from the garden, and even up to the first hard frost.

Salads were once an afterthought in American diets, consisting of a few leaves of iceberg lettuce – that beloved ball of crispy water, and a slice of tomato. Today, however, we eagerly sample a variety of international cuisines and have tried many varieties of salad greens grown and eaten in Europe.

Mesclun, meaning "mixture" in the dialect of Nice, France, is the word used to describe a collection of wild and cultivated greens eaten as salad in the Mediterranean. Gourmet restaurants prize the blend of flavors, colors and textures. Seed companies offer combinations for different seasons, colors and flavors, as well as gourmet, fashionable, antique, tangy, tender, and sweet mixtures. Or, create your own mesclun mix using greens that are suitable for “cut and come again” harvesting. The best part is that they are easy and inexpensive to grow.

Plant your fall salad garden intensively since all greens should be harvested as baby leaves. If it is still very hot, hold off sowing until the weather moderates a bit: most of the real growth should take place during cooler weather. Keep the seed beds evenly moist during germination. Continue to water regularly if necessary while harvesting the delicious baby leaves.

Plant the seeds directly into the garden, or into containers of potting soil. Garden soil is not suitable for containers as it will harden and prevent the seeds from sprouting. Those that do sprout will not reach their full potential. Long, shallow containers like window boxes are ideal for cut-and-come-again greens. They can be moved easily to take advantage of sunny spots or placed where it is convenient to water and harvest them.

Harvest the greens when the outer leaves reach 3-6 inches, depending on the type. Cut them off the plant with scissors, just above the growing crown, leaving 2/3 of the plant intact so it is strong enough to continue growing. Rinse your mesclun in cool water after harvesting. Pat the leaves dry with a paper towel, or try a salad spinner to remove the moisture without damaging the leaves. Use them as soon as possible, or wrap the leaves gently in paper towels, seal them in a plastic bag and place in the refrigerator. They should stay fresh for several days. If harvested mesclun becomes slightly wilted, revive it in a bath of cool water. Re-crisping should take 10 to 15 minutes.

To continue harvesting your fall greens through light frosts, protect the plants in the garden with floating row covers. These are inexpensive, easy to put down and remove, and they let in light and water while keeping the plants warm. Keep an eye on nighttime temperatures: if it threatens to dip below freezing, cover the beds with the floating row covers, or bring containers into the house, garage or shed at night to protect the plants and extend the harvest season.

Use the deep green leaves of homegrown baby spinach as a base to showcase the rest of your colorful, fresh autumn greens. Add some homegrown radishes and peas for color and crunch. Mesclun salads are best served with simple dressings, such as oil and vinegar or a light vinaigrette. From a culinary standpoint, strong flavors such as bleu cheese or garlic are best avoided, as they will overpower the fresh flavors of the greens. Try a mesclun salad with grilled chicken, roasted red peppers, black olives, and a mild cheese, with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for a delicious meal.

Put your garden to bed a little later this year, and enjoy the fresh, crisp bounty of spring during the colorful, comfortable days of fall.

 

Lori Rose, the Midnight Gardener, is a Temple University Certified Master Home Gardener and member of the Association for Garden Communicators. She has gardened since childhood, and has been writing about gardening for more than 15 years.

Meet Lori