Valerianella locusta

Valerianella locusta — corn salad

Valerianella locusta is the botanical name for corn salad, also known as lamb's lettuce or mâche — a small, exceptionally hardy salad leaf with a soft texture and mild, nutty flavour. It is the species behind our corn salad range and one of the best winter members of our fresh leafy greens.

History & origin

Corn salad grew originally as a wild plant of European cornfields and disturbed ground — hence the name — where it was gathered as a free winter salad long before it was cultivated. It became a prized leaf in France, Germany and the Netherlands, valued for cropping in the cold months when little else is available, and mâche remains a gourmet salad today. The genus name Valerianella means little valerian, a nod to its relatives, while locusta refers to the small, clustered leaves.

Botanical characteristics

This is a low, fast annual that forms neat rosettes of small, spoon-shaped, deep-green leaves with a tender texture and gentle, nutty taste quite unlike peppery salad leaves. Its great virtue is hardiness: it shrugs off frost and keeps growing in cold, short days when lettuces and rocket have long since failed, which makes it the salad leaf of autumn, winter and early spring. The whole rosette is usually cut at once, or leaves picked individually.

Growing Valerianella locusta from seed

Corn salad is sown for the cooler half of the year. Sow direct from late summer into autumn for winter and spring salads — it germinates best in cool soil and may be slow to start in summer heat. Keep it moist, thin lightly, and harvest whole rosettes with a knife or pick leaves as needed. It is tough enough to crop outdoors through winter in much of the region, especially with a little cover. Our vegetable growing guide covers the basics, and the vegetable sowing calendar shows the windows.

Ready for fresh salad through the cold months? Browse the varieties below.

Related categories: Corn Salad · Fresh Leafy Greens · Lettuce · Direct Sow Vegetables · All Vegetables

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