Table Of ContentLEAFY SALAD VEGETABLES
LEAFY SALAD
VEGETABLES
J.
Edward Ryder, Ph.D.
Plant Geneticist
USDA, SEA-AR, Western Region
U.S. Agricultural Research Station
Salinas, California
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aVI
AVI PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC.
Westport, Connecticut
©Copyright 1979 by
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 151 edition 1979
THE AVI PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC.
Westport, Conn~ticut
All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be
reproduced or used in any form or by any means-graphic, electronic, or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage
and retrieval systems- without written permission of the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging In Publication Data
Ryder, Edward J, 1929-
Leafy salad 'vegetables.
Includes index.
1. Salad greens. I. Title.
SB35l.S25R92 635'.5 79-18713
ISBN 978·94·011·9701-4 ISBN 978·94·011·9699-4 (eBook)
DOl 10.1007/978-94-011·9699-4
Preface
Leafy salad vegetables are among the most universally used vegetable
crops grown today. Their prominence as important crops has been
heightened through the last several decades due to an awareness on the
part of consumers of the nutrient, and other obvious values they offer to
the diet as "fresh greens" which, at least in the United States, have
become a daily table staple. As a result, acreage planted to leafy salad
vegetable crops has expanded to a remarkable degree over the past few
decades, making these crops an important segment of the agricultural
and marketing industries.
Published information on leafy salad vegetables has been-and is
widespread and scattered. This book brings together all up-to-date
information and is amply referenced throughout for further study and
information. Similarities and differences among the species are discussed
and provide insight into the place these species hold in the world
cropping system and in the human diet. This approach in text organiza
tion was made in an effort to be helpful to the widest type of readership:
professional researchers and teachers, graduate and undergraduate stu
dents, extension workers, farmers and other members of the horticultural
community, and, perhaps, even lay readers who are the ultimate
consumers.
Leafy salad vegetables seemed to be a natural crop grouping, having a
number of common characteristics. The crops discussed, however, do not
form an exhaustive list. There is no discussion of primarily tropical leafy
vegetables, which were too far beyond my area of knowledge and which
are covered in other books. The discussion of Brassica oleracea is limited
to cabbage, but could conceivably have included some of the other forms.
For various reasons, primarily of time, these and other omissions were
made, but will hopefully not seriously affect the value of the book.
I am indebted to colleagues in USDA, State Experiment Stations and
seed companies in the United States and in research centers in England,
France and Holland for pictures and information about the various leafy
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vi LEAFY SALAD VEGETABLES
salad vegetables. In particular, I wish to acknowledge the help of T.W.
Whitaker, V.L. Guzman, R.E. Webb, M. Yamaguchi, W.L. Sims, J.F.
Kelly, A.H. Eenink, J.W. Maxon-Smith, D.L. Thompson, J. Janick, H.
Bannerot, D. Gray, J.A. Tomlinson, D.H. Lenker, LR. Crute, P.H.
Williams and LL. Jorgensen in providing materials used in this book.
I especially want to thank my wife, Elouise, for her advice and counsel.
She also typed the manuscript.
It is also a pleasure to acknowledge the assistance and encouragement
given me by Mrs. Lucy Long and the AV I Publishing Company in
bringing out this book.
EDWARD J. RYDER
January 1979
Acknowledgements
I am indebted to colleagues in the USDA, State Experiment Stations
and seed companies in the United States and in research centers in
England, France and Holland for pictures and information about the
various leafy salad vegetables. In particular I wish to acknowledge the
help of V.L. Guzman, R.E. Webb, M. Yamaguchi, W.L. Sims, J.F.
Kelly, A.H. Eenink, J.W. Maxon-Smith, D.L. Thompson, J. Janick, H.
Bannerot, D. Gray, J.A. Tomlinson, D.H. Lenker, LR. Crute, P.H.
Williams, and LL. Jorgensen in providing materials used in this book.
I especially want to thank my wife, Elouise, for her advice and counsel.
She also typed the manuscript.
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Contents
PREFACE
1 Introduction 1
2 Lettuce 13
3 Celery 95
4 Cabbage 127
5 Endive and Chicory 171
6 Spinach 195
7 Lesser Salad Vegetables 229
Index 259
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1
Introduction
Nearly any vegetable may be eaten raw in a salad. Certain ones,
however, are commonly referred to as salad vegetables, and of these a few
are logically considered as leafy salad vegetables, based upon the
criterion that we consume the leaves and petioles only. In this volume,
therefore, the crops discussed include lettuce, celery, cabbage, endive,
chicory, spinach, Chinese cabbage, mustard, watercress, parsley, dan
delion and several minor species.
Taken together, these vegetables make up a substantial portion of the
human diet and a small but important segment of the agricultural
industry of the United States and other countries.
PRODUCTION AND VALUE
The total area in farm crops in 1976 in the United States was 137
million ha (338 million acres). The total value of the crops was upwards
of $64 hillion.
Fresh vegetables were grown on 632,900 ha (1,563,000 a) in 1976. The
total production was 12,214,000 tons for a total value of $2.2 billion.
Statistics are available for five leafy salad vegetables for 1976, including
lettuce, celery, cabbage, escarole and spinach. Together, these were
grown on 145,800 ha (360,200 a), which produced 4,526,000 tons at a
value of $734 million.
QUALITY
An important consequence of the fact that it is the foliar portions of
leafy salad vegetables that are marketed and consumed is the need to
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E. J. Ryder, Leafy Salad Vegetables
© The AVI Publishing Company, Inc. 1979
2 LEAFY SALAD VEGETABLES
maintain high quality. Certainly, high quality is of major importance in
all horticultural products. They are subject to deterioration, blemishing,
disease and insect damage, all of which detract from the marketability
and edibility or showiness of the product. It is particularly important to
maintain quality in leafy vegetables and somewhat more difficult to do
so because the tissues are tender and unprotected and because there is a
high surface-to-volume ratio. Wilting, drying and physical damage occur
more easily, and the visual affront from these as well as disease and
insect damage is more obvious.
Arthey (1975) discusses the quality characteristics of horticultural
products. Those that apply to fresh vegetables include:
1. Nutritional value
2. Color
3. Texture
4. Size
5. Shape
6. Flavor
7. Defects
Nutritional Value
Leafy salad vegetables are similar in several nutritional character
istics. They are high in water content, low in carbohydrate and protein,
and moderate to high in some vitamins and minerals. All are good or
excellent sources of Vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, phosphorus and
potassium.
Parsley, dandelion and spinach are particularly good sources of
Vitamin A, while cos and leaf lettuce, endive, mustard and watercress
are fairly good sources.
Parsley and mustard are excellent for ascorbic acid (vitamin C), while
cabbage, spinach, mustard, watercress and dandelion are good.
Parsley, spinach, mustard, watercress and dandelion are excellent for
calcium, while lettuce, cabbage, Chinese cabbage and endive are mod
erate to good sources.
Parsley is particularly good for potassium, iron and phosphorus, while
celery is very high in sodium. Endive and spinach are also high in
phosphorus.
These vegetables do not supply large amounts of the B vitamins,
although parsley is a respectable source of thiamin, riboflavin and
maCIn.
Leafy salad vegetables contribute to the diet in two other ways. They
are sources of bulk and are, therefore, salutory to the digestive processes.
