    
Boston Lettuce
 Boston Lettuce in its clamshell
© Denzil Green
The leaves, which are soft and tender, are so easily bruised that the lettuce is often shipped in protective plastic containers called "clamshells". The leaves form a loose, round head with yellow-green leaves at the centre.
All the leaves have a taste that is so lacking in bitterness that you could almost call them sweet.
Cooking Tips
Core the bottom, then remove leaves and wash in a large bowl or in a sink of cold water. Wash well, as the leaves can catch a lot of sand (though many are grown hydroponically these days and shipped with the roots still on). There is no need to let leaves soak, though. Dry afterwards. The leaves bruise easily, so handle carefully.
The leaves pair well with fruitier dressings, and with sweeter items such as cherry tomatoes or grated carrot.
Equivalents
1 pound lettuce = 450g = approx 6 cups torn
8 oz lettuce = 225g = approx 3 cups torn
2 oz shredded lettuce = 50g = 1 cup
8 oz shredded lettuce = 200g = 4 cups
Storage
/bostonlettuce/$file/lettuce_boston_01.jpg "Boston Lettuce") Hydroponically-grown Boston Lettuce
- © Denzil Green
Unlike other lettuces where the danger is storing them wet and allowing mould to develop, with Boston Lettuce the storage worry is about the leaves drying out.
The plastic clamshell containers serve double duty, not only protecting them from bruising, but also keeping moisture in. If yours came in a clamshell, store it in the clamshell.
History
Boston Lettuce been grown in Florida since at least the 1920s as a winter crop for shipping north.
Also called:  Butter Lettuce
Nancy Lettuce Laitue Boston (French)
Other entries for Lettuce
Batavia Lettuce, Boston Lettuce, Bronze Mignonette Lettuce, Butterhead Lettuce, Green Mignonette Lettuce, Iceberg Lettuce, Lamb's Lettuce, Lollo Biando Lettuce, Lollo Rosso Lettuce, Mignonette Lettuce, Oak Lettuce, Redina Lettuce
Other entries for Leafy Vegetables
Branch Lettuce, Dandelion, Endive, Frisée, Greens, Lamb's Quarters, Malabar Spinach, Mesclun Mix, Mizuna, New Zealand Spinach, Potherbs, Rocket, Strawberry Spinach
Other entries for Vegetables
Agave, Artichokes, Asparagus, Brassica Family, Canned Vegetables, Cardoons, Celery, Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Frozen Vegetables, Garlic, Gourds, Herbed Vinegars, Horseradish Tree, Hoshi Shiitake, Lotus, Mixed Vegetables, Mushrooms, Pak Wan, Peas, Peppers, Root Vegetables, Sago Palm, Seaweed, Spinach, Sprouts, Squash, Tomatoes, Viscous Vegetables
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