'Toss' a salad garden with variety of greens

Several weeks ago we discussed lettuce, since 2009 has been designated the Year of the Greens by the National Garden Bureau.

While lettuce is popular and fairly easy to grow, there are a plethora of other greens that grow well and provide excellent treats for your table.

A visit to your local grocer will introduce you to some of these, but there are others that you might find only if you grow them yourself.

Greens are not a new food. Prehistoric hunter-gatherers likely ate wild greens. Mustards and mizuna have been cultivated in Asia for more than 2,500 years.

The Romans liked arugula and considered it a good-luck food.

Corn salad, also called mache, grows in fields of grain, commonly referred to as cornfields after the biblical definition. Peasant laborers collected the leaves to eat, and it eventually became popular when served to the elite during the reign of Louis XIV.

Designating a plant as a green is not a botanical designation but one based on plant usage. There are many different greens, and they are not always green.

The leaves are often red, bronze, purple or yellow, and they may be multicolored with specks or flecks of a different color.

Some greens are not just a single plant. Mesclun is a name given to mixes that contain different leafy greens.

The mixtures contain different colors and flavors to make tasty salads or other treats.

Greens are harvested at different growth stages. "Micro-green" plants are harvested 10 to 14 days after planting the seeds and have only one or two true leaves. Use these as edible garnishes or in salads or on sandwiches.

Let the same plants grow a couple more weeks, and they become "baby greens." These small but very tender and flavorful plants are featured in many gourmet menus.

Leave them longer and they will mature — but never wait too long or they become tough with strong or bitter flavors.

Many greens come from the cabbage family. In addition to broccoli, cauliflower and kale, this family includes arugula, mizuna, tatsoi, cress, collards and mustard greens.

Arugula is also called rocket salad. It is easy to grow and has spicy, lobed leaves with a radish-like flavor. It is often used in mixtures to tone down its strong flavor. It is ready for harvest from the garden in four to six weeks.