Dutch Winter Brown Lettuce

Thomas Jefferson apparently liked this variety of lettuce, as he planted it twenty seven times in his winter garden at Monticello.

The very idea of brown lettuce did not seem so appealing when I first read about this variety, however, I thought I would give it a try anyway. I sort of expected it to look like a cow pie, and it is not that far off. I will, though, give it the benefit of the doubt, grow it to maturity, and taste it. Hopefully, I will be pleasantly surprised.

No matter how it tastes, preserving the germplasm of these rare heirloom varieties makes them worth growing. If we don't grow them, and save seeds, they will be lost, and lost forever.