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- Miner's Lettuce (Claytonia)
Miner's Lettuce (Claytonia)
Quickly makes a rosette of juicy, mild-flavored leaves that can be cut several times for salad. The buttery flavor and crisp juicy texture have made this California native very popular in Europe. Outstanding as one of the first outdoor plantings in spring, as a winter salad crop, or as a self-perpetuating permaculture crop. Hardier than lettuce, and will sprout and grow in colder soil than other vegetables. Leaves, stems, and flowers are all edible and choice, though quality falls after the flowers open. Will grow through the winter (outdoors in zones 8-10, under unheated cover in colder zones) as it is adapted to not only cold but low light.
One of the few vegetables that will grow in serpentine soils, which are toxic to many plants. In my California childhood, this was the first wild green children learned to recognize and snack on--its cup-shaped leaves circling the stem are utterly unique and distinctive. In areas where it gets summer moisture and winters are not too cold, it is perennial. Elsewhere, a self-sowing annual. I do not water our stands, and it returns reliably from self-sown seed with the winter rains.
Our seed is gathered from wild stands we have stewarded and increased over the years. Please note that our seed is large and heavy, about 3 1/2 times heavier than seed sold elsewhere. This translates to exceptional vigor, but it does mean fewer seeds per gram than you will see in other catalogs. Montia perfoliata, AKA Claytonia perfoliata.