I love having fresh lettuce on hand in my garden during summer. Now that fall is here it’s time to plant some hardy winter greens that I can use in my salads this winter. This year I’m trying two new greens. The first is Miner’s lettuce which is native to the area. Its heart shaped leaves (see picture) have a fresh taste. Miner’s lettuce should be direct seeded in early fall. Apparently it does not transplant well.
Miner's Lettuce
The second green is Ox-eye daisy, or the common daisy that grows by the side of the road, in BC, as well as all over Europe, Australia and the US. Apparently the ox-eye is considered a noxious weed by BC agriculture because if cows eat it their milk takes on a bitter taste. The leaves of the ox-eye daisy can be eaten in winter when the plant is not flowering. The leaves have a bitter taste so generally you would want to use them to accompany other more subtle tasting salad greens. You can buy seeds for these salad greens from Sooke Harbour House Garden ($5.95 for 200 seeds).
