Celtuce the new trend vegetable

A food trend from China

Kategorien: Food and Drink Cooking Hobby

You know Celtuce? I'm talking about the asparagus salad. The vegetable is versatile. It is especially popular because of its taste and richness of nutrients. It is not a hybrid of asparagus and lettuce, even if the name suggests it. Chinese salad is best eaten raw, but can also be used for cooking.
Celtuce the new trend vegetable - Celtuce© jianghongyan / depositphotos

Facts about the lettuce variety Asparagus lettuce is a cultivar of two different varieties of garden lettuce, which originate from the Mediterranean region. They came to China during the Tang Dynasty and were cultivated into a stem vegetable. It is particularly popular on the Chinese mainland and in Taiwan. Wosun is called Lactuca sativa var. augustana in China. Celtuce is the English name. Perhaps you will be lucky.

Facts about the salad variety
Asparagus lettuce is a cultivar of two different varieties of garden lettuce originating from the Mediterranean region. They came to China during the Tang dynasty and were cultivated into a stem vegetable. It is particularly popular on the Chinese mainland and in Taiwan. Wosun is called Lactuca sativa var. augustana in China. Celtuce is the English name. Maybe you are lucky and get the vegetables in your spare time in the Asia Shop! It is also possible to grow the plant from seeds in the garden.

Use in the kitchen
Young leaves are tender and crisp. They can be processed into salad. The thick stems can also be eaten raw. They taste fresh and like mild kohlrabi. When steamed, the vegetables taste like asparagus. Even after cooking, they are still crisp. You can also grill or fry the stems. Celtuce is particularly suitable for preparation in the wok. You must peel the stalk before processing. The outer shell is not used. Only the light green core is used.

If you want to try the asparagus salad in your spare time, peel noodle-like strips from the peeled stalk with the asparagus peeler or use the spiral cutter! Steam the vegetable noodles in a little water. Serve with a hollandaise sauce! Vegetable pans can also be found in the Food and Drink section. Dice the peeled stalk and fry them in the pan with other vegetables. Season as usual and serve rice with this dish.

Low in calories and rich in nutrients
Celtuce has about 18 kilocalories per 100 grams. The vegetables are low in fat and have a fibre content of 1.7 grams. Vitamins include vitamin C, A and various B vitamins and minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. Asparagus salad is also a good source of manganese. As far as eating and drinking is concerned, vegetables can support your health.

Grow Celtuce in the garden
You can prefer to plant the seeds in a cold frame or greenhouse from March onwards and place them in the garden later. Pre-cultivation on the windowsill is also possible. When sowing directly in the bed from April, the distance between the rows and between the seeds should be 30 centimetres. Any late frosts that may still occur do not affect the plants. It takes about 100 days from sowing to harvest. You can harvest the first young leaves for salads earlier.

Plants that you have sown in March are ready for harvest in June. The stems are then around 30 centimetres high. The harvest of outdoor sowing is accordingly later in July. If you have placed the plants too close together, you can harvest a little earlier to thin out the rows. Later sowing and harvesting is possible. If you sow in June, the asparagus salad will ripen in autumn. When caring for the plants in your spare time, you can proceed in the same way as with lettuce.
Celtuce the new trend vegetable - Sichuan shredded pork with Celtuce© asimojet / depositphotos

A good nutritious soil is recommended. If necessary, the soil can be improved with compost. When it is dry, the seedlings must be watered. After heavy downpours, the soil must be loosened superficially. Compost mulching is beneficial to the growth of the plants. Harvest as soon as the plants have reached a suitable thickness. Do not wait until flowering, because then the green becomes bitter and the stems woody. You only need flowering plants if you want to obtain seeds. These grow very high and must be tied up to prevent them from falling over in a storm.

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