A review of some seriously good lettuce. Yes…lettuce.
I recently enjoyed some fabulous lettuce samples from Little Leaf Farms. I know what you’re thinking…what’s the big deal about lettuce? That’s what I thought until we took our first crunchy bite.
I made my husband and myself a couple of salads with the Baby Spring Mix. Please don’t judge my overuse of feta cheese – it’s so good!
Holy crunch!
I am not exaggerating. We both looked at each other and said this is the crunchiest lettuce we’ve ever had. I am unsure how Little Leaf Farms is doing it, but I have never enjoyed a salad like that. Let’s face it, the first word in the name of this website is “butter.” I don’t ever get excited about lettuce or a salad. What really amazed us was that after the lettuce made a trip from Massachusetts to Illinois, it then sat in our refrigerator for a few days before I made the salads. And still, it was as crunchy as if I had plucked it out of my own garden.
Clean from the start
Little Leaf Farms does have a “little” secret to creating what might be the world’s best lettuce. They have a unique, advanced growing system in their 10-acre greenhouse called Clean From the Start™. Their goal is to bring the local community fresh, nutritious lettuce that isn’t shipped from far away. Thankfully, you can also have Little Leaf brought right to your door with Amazon Fresh or Instacart.
The Clean From the Start™ growing system uses a hands-free technique, which means there’s no need to triple-wash the lettuce like other lettuces you find in the grocery store. Producers of field-grown greens often use chlorine-based cleaners and other chemicals to get the lettuce clean before it is shipped to the stores. Little Leaf Farms is committed to chemical and pathogen-free lettuce.
It begins with Non-GMO seeds planted onto a gutter that enters the greenhouse via a conveyer belt. The seeds then receive plenty of natural sunlight and recycled rainwater for several weeks. Naturally, pests are kept under control with free-roaming ladybugs and other insects that help keep the unwanted ones away. Little Leaf refuses to use chemical pesticides on the greens you consume.
Once ready to eat, the lettuce is packaged in a recyclable container and shipped to local stores within 24 hours. Local shipping is extremely important to Little Leaf Farms. They believe in the importance of eating your greens before losing their nutritional value and fabulous crunch. Plus, cutting down on long-distance shipping is better for the environment.
More salad in my life
If I had known ahead of time how crunchy the lettuce was, I would have recorded it. No joke. If anything, I am tired of brown, scary-looking bagged salad mixes from the store. Most of us are lazy when it comes to washing, slicing, and dicing to eat a salad. I love convenience, and if it’s something that has health benefits as well, I am all about it. As you know, we love to eat. If we can enjoy a salad now and then, it’s best that we do.
I have downloaded some great recipes from Little Leaf Farms as well. As it turns out, salad doesn’t have to be boring. Sometimes we need some new, fresh ideas. How about a loaded Greek salad with Lemon Vinaigrette? Or Buffalo Chicken Tender salad? You can find the recipes here.
I hope I haven’t shocked anyone with my new love for salad. Don’t worry; I still love butter and bourbon; however, my heart and waistline are pleased to have met Little Leaf Farms.
