Product Of Australia
Lettuce is one of the most widely used salad vegetables and is available in a variety of colours, shapes and flavours. Lettuce seeds arrived in Australia on the First Fleet. The most popular lettuce varieties in Australia are:
Iceberg with a round, compact head.
Cos lettuce which has longer dark green leaves.
Butterhead with brown/red or softer green leaves.
Health Benefits
Lettuce is an excellent source of vitamin A (the darker the leaves more vitamin A and iron)
100g of lettuce yields the following:
- Calories – 14
- Total Carbs – 1% of DV
- Protein – 0.9g
- Dietary Fibre – 5% of DV
- Vitamin A – 10% of DV
- Vitamin C – 5% of DV
- Calcium – 2% of DV
- Iron – 2% of DV
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Selecting tips
- Select lettuce which have crisp, firm leaves without any sign of wilting.
- Ball-head lettuce varieties should feed heavy for their size.
Storage tips
- Remove the core and wash the lettuce thoroughly in cold water.
- Line a plastic container with paper towel and place lettuce leaves on top (after shaking off excess water), seal container with a lid and store in the fridge crisper.
- Alternatively, place cleaned lettuce leaves onto paper towel, in one layer, roll up and place in a sealed plastic bag. Again, store in the fridge crisper.
- Stored lettuce should last between 2-4 weeks.