Breen

Latin name: Lactuca sativa

🌱 Days to Sprout: 7-21 

😋 Plant food: after true leaves 

✂️ Thin to: 1 plant per yCube

🍅 Days to Maturity: 45

💡 Light Zone: Moderate

📏 Plant Size: <1

💚 Care Level: Beginner

Lettuce is thought to have originated in the Middle East, with the earliest depictions of it appearing in Egypt around 2700 BC. Ancient Egyptians bred lettuce plants to be less bitter than their wild counterparts, and used oil from wild lettuces for a variety of applications, including mummification.

Breen leaves display a beautiful mixture of olive-green and purple-red pigments with light, contrasting veins. They are firm and crisp with excellent flavor. Breen is higher in antioxidants than standard green romaine due to the accumulation of flavonoids as the leaves mature. As a romaine lettuce variety, Breen is a good source of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium.

Raw Breen leaves hold their shape well and add flavor and crunch to salads, tacos, sandwiches, and burgers. Breen is also tasty braised or added to soups!

💡Temperature: Lettuce prefers cooler temperatures (60-70°F). If placed in higher temperatures, it can turn bitter and bolt.

✂️ Pruning: Check the roots monthly and trim any that are brown or extending past the yPod.

🥬 Harvest: For ongoing harvests, snip the outer leaves just above the base of the plant once they reach 4 inches tall to let the inner leaves continue to grow. Leave 1/3 of the plant if you want it to keep growing. To harvest the full head, wait until it reaches maturity, then harvest from the base.

Lettuce Soup

Recipe Source: Epicurious

Ingredients

• 8 cups coarsely chopped Breen leaves, including ribs (3/4 lb)

• 1 cup chopped Chives, onions, scallions, and/or shallots

• 1 garlic clove, chopped

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 3/4 cup diced (1/3 inch) peeled potato

• 3 cups water

Instructions

1. In a 4 to 5-quart heavy pot, cook onion mixture and garlic in 2 tablespoons butter over moderately low heat, stirring until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Add coriander, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

3. Stir in potato, Breen, and water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until potato is very tender, about 10 minutes.

4. Purée soup in batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids) and transfer to a 2- to 3-quart saucepan.

5. Bring soup to a simmer, then whisk in remaining tablespoon butter and salt and pepper to taste. 

Our Plant Health & Nutrition Team thoroughly tests each variety we offer to bring you the most flavorful and high-quality plants. We regularly rotate our plant portfolio, so please note, availability varies.