Kem Ormond’s vegetable garden: Lettuce soup - don’t knock it until you try it

It's time to start thinking about soup ... and lettuce ... together? Photo / Sandy Clarke, Unsplash

Kem Ormond is a features writer for The Country. She’s also a keen gardener. This week, she’s promoting the virtues of the humble winter lettuce.

OPINION

Well, the nights are getting darker, shorter, and colder, and it isn’t even winter.

Time to think of a hot steaming bowl of soup and some crunchy homemade bread.

Ever thought of a bowl of lettuce soup?

I am quite sure there will be a few screwed up noses, but if you have never tried it, be brave and give it a go, you may get a real surprise.

Lettuce soup is part of French and Chinese cuisine.

Of course, while it may be called lettuce soup, it often has the addition of such vegetables as onions, garlic, coriander, and potato, although the main ingredient is lettuce leaves.

Croutons are also a terrific addition, adding a touch of crunch, as is a splash of olive oil and a dollop of sour cream.

It can be served cool in summer, but oh so nice in winter, steaming hot!

While I don’t have my own recipe, there are plenty of tasty ones you will find online, and I have often used them when I have had an overabundance of lettuce.

A lot of you have probably already planted your winter vegetable crops such as broad beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, garlic, kale, silver beet, and spinach.

I have just planted some more spring onion seedlings, and I have even planted a few lettuces.

Now, a lot of people think of lettuce as a summer crop, but some do fine being grown in winter.

Some of the hardy winter lettuce varieties are Cos, Tom Thumb, Little Gem, Lamb’s Ear lettuce, and Corn Salad.

Then there are the loose-leaf varieties such as oak leaf green and red, mesclun winter greens, and there is a great hearting variety called Imperial Triumph that is cold tolerant, great for down south.

And please don’t forget Miner’s lettuce.

This is an absolute treasure come winter, and as the leaves are, what I call, a little bit more meaty than other lettuces, perfect for lettuce soup.

Winter is when the ground gets cold, and the slugs and snails are after something rather tasty to eat, so keep an eye out for these cheeky critters and remember if it is particularly cold where you live, your lettuces will enjoy being covered by a cloche or a cold frame.

They also enjoy being snuggled up with a bit of pea straw or any dried plant material left over from summer.

So, while we all think of winter as the time for casseroles and comfort food, soup can be an economical change on a Sunday night with lovely homemade bread.

So, why not give the humble lettuce a shot in the pot?