As the day stretches on, the dew drops down from the leaves, stalk and stem of the plant into the soil, hydrating its roots and preparing it for another day in the hot summer sun.
The way our ruby crystal lettuce holds its moisture and hydrates itself always reminds us of those dewdrops in the morning. It’s velvety texture and soft sage color is plumped up with moisture, its leaves thick with it, the way aloe vera leaves hold their moisture inside their nearly-bursting flesh.
We grow a number of varieties of crystal lettuce but we love the way our ruby crystal defines the gem that it is with two words that evoke the discovery of a treasure, because that’s exactly what it is.
Chefs love its neutral flavor because it pairs so well with anything. Biting into a sprig of ruby crystal lettuce refreshes the diner, delivering a spritz of moisture to their palate, setting them up for the next hearty bite. Chefs also love the way ruby crystal’s cell structure and moisture content enables it to hold up so well on the plate when most other garnishes wilt after a short period of time.
It’s tuberous, almost like purslane, and is much tougher than its delicate appearance gives away. We grow our crystal lettuce varieties in the greenhouse, harvesting each sprig by hand with a scissors, and even at the end of a long summer day, it continues to appear and to taste as refreshing as it did when the day first started.
There is no other ingredient that reminds us more of that warm and fuzzy time of the day when dewdrops are glinting on the field. It’s a perfect intermezzo and I’ve seen chefs make sorbet from it and garnish the scoop with a sprig of ruby crystal lettuce. It’s the perfect palate cleanser, gentle and refreshing, like a summer morning on the farm.