This beautiful looseleaf lettuce is a tried-and-true heirloom.
According to seed historian William Woy Weavers, Prizehead has been around since at least 1874. Its frilly leaves of bronze, deep purple and dark green shine as a cut-and-come-again lettuce, giving wonderful loft to salads. It is quick to grow, and slow to bolt.
And its deep purple/red leaves are a health boost to your diet. (We are always on the lookout for scientific reports about how good lettuce is for us, so we will eat more of it:) A recent study by Assefa et al (2021) found high concentrations of phytonutrients in red-pigmented lettuce. They write:
“Lettuce plants with high intensity of red in leaves, circular leaf shapes, a strong degree of leaf undulation, and highly dense leaf incisions were found to accumulate the highest concentration of flavonoids and hydroxycinnamic acids. In general, this study showed that red lettuce could be among the major dietary sources of antioxidants such as caffeic acid and quercetin derivatives.”
We are pretty excited about the different kinds of lettuce we offer and their health benefits. Check out our Musing on the powerful protective effects and health benefits of the humble lettuce.
A bit more:
One more thing, just in case you are interested. Lettuce is a really, really old food. A recent paper published in Nature Genetics determined that the ‘center of lettuce domestication’ was likely the Caucasus region (where Europe and Asia meet) about 4000 B.C– so 6,000 years ago. It makes you think, there must be a good reason humans have been growing lettuce for thousands of years.
How to Plant: (1) Lettuce seeds need light to germinate. Sow seeds on the surface of soil, press in and cover lightly with soil; (2) Keep soil moist as lettuce has a shallow root system; and (3) Sow or plant out in early spring before weather gets hot. Lettuce will bolt (go to seed) and become bitter tasting when the temperatures get hot. Prizehead does well in the garden or in a container.
