Rouge d'Hiver

Latin name: Lactuca sativa

🌱 Days to Sprout: 7-14

😋 Plant Food: after true leaves

✂️ Thin to: 1 plant per yCube

🍅 Days to Maturity: 30-50

💡 Light Zone: Moderate

📏 Plant Size: <1 ft

💚 Care Level: Beginner

Rouge d’Hiver, which means “Red of Winter”, is a French romaine heirloom variety from the 1800s. Its name refers to the plant’s cold-tolerance. While uncommon in stores, Rouge d’Hiver is a favorite among many home gardeners.

This variety is loved for its red-tinted, delicate, and buttery leaves with a rich flavor. Lettuces are particularly high in vitamin A and potassium which supports blood pressure, cardiovascular health, bone strength, and muscle strength

Add Rouge d’Hiver leaves to salads, sandwiches, or wraps for a colorful and flavorful boost. Larger, more mature leaves are great as lettuce wraps.

💡Temperature: Prefers cooler temperatures (60-70°F), and if placed in higher temperatures, it will turn bitter and bolt.

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

🥬 Harvest: For ongoing harvest, 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.

Rouge Caesar Salad

Recipe Source: Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

• 1 to 2 anchovy fillets

• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

• 1 pasteurized large egg yolk

• 1/2 cup canola oil

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

• 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

• 1/2 teaspoon honey (preferably chestnut honey)

• Dash of hot sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon chardonnay vinegar (or other white wine vinegar)

• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

For the salad:

• 4 to 5 bunches baby red lettuce of choice

• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

• French-bread croutons, for topping

• Fresh lemon juice, for sprinkling

Instructions

1. To make the dressing, blend the lemon juice, anchovies, Worcestershire sauce, egg yolk, canola oil, garlic, lemon zest, mustard, honey, hot sauce, and vinegar in a blender until well incorporated and fluffy. If the dressing is too thick, blend in a little cold water.

2. Gently fold in the parmesan.

3. To make the salad, rip or chop the lettuce into spears, leaving some of the stem intact in each bite for added crunch.

4. Put the lettuce in a large bowl, drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the dressing, and gently toss. Transfer to a large platter or bowl.

5. Sprinkle with the grated parmesan. Add some croutons, crumbling them slightly as you add them. Sprinkle fresh lemon juice over the entire salad right before serving. Bon appetit!

Tip: You can store leftover dressing in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week.

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.