Sorrel: Technically classified as an herb, sorrel (pictured above) is a wonderful addition of any salad. The bright green leaves are tart and quite lemony. They may have a bright red rib with a web of red veins shooting out to the sides.
Here's why: When the lettuce is cut or damaged, oxygen enters its cell walls. When this happens, an enzyme is released, resulting in the lettuce turning a red color. Lettuce can also turn red when it's exposed to ethylene gas—typically from storing it alongside fruits and veggies that emit ethylene as they ripen.
It's a fairly simple explanation, really. The reddish-brown stuff that appears on your lettuce, often near the root, is what most professional chefs refer to as “rust.” It's a pretty apt name once you think about it. Your case of “rusty lettuce” is due to an excess of moisture during the storage process.
Swiss chard is that bright green leafy vegetable, usually with a red mid vein, that most people inch past in the supermarkets. It looks so darn healthy it is scary, and also looks complicated and possibly bitter. I've been growing chard for years.
Red pear/teardrop tomatoes are small, red tomatoes that are shaped like a pear or teardrop. They are often used as a snack or in salads.
It's rust, and it's fine. Experts in the culinary world know the "rusting" or "pinking" of lettuce is often the result of it being too wet when it's stored.
According to Eater, the lettuce in question is called Radicchio del Veneto, aka La Rosa del Veneto. It's a pink chicory grown mostly in parts of Italy, but you can also find it in California, Pennsylvania, and other states.
Sorrel. We grow the red-veined variety because it's gorgeous - long, narrow green leaves with vibrant red veins throughout. Sorrel is known for its citrus-like flavour and used fresh most often to highlight this.
Red veined sorrel is a knockout in the garden! This edible ornamental forms dense clumps of lime green leaves highlighted by deep red veins. Those leaves can be harvested to add a tart lemony flavor to salads, sandwiches, and soups or used make a tasty pesto.
USDA Red is a semi-flat type of spinach with a medium growth rate and semi-erect leaves. Its leaves are spade-shaped with round-pointed tips and purple-red veins and petioles. Compared with other spinach varieties, it has moderate resistance to bolting.
So, to answer your question, the most nutritious lettuce is Romaine. Compared to red leaf, green leaf, butterhead (Boston and bib types) and iceberg, it delivers more folate, potassium, beta carotene and lutein.
Thrive Cuisine confirms that reddened lettuce, however, is still safe to eat. The enzymes present during this stage present no harm whatsoever to your digestive system, but the lettuce will have lost a good amount of its flavor and nutritional value.
Bitter tasting lettuce is most often caused by hot weather. But there are other reasons lettuce gets bitter including maturity, bolting, and poor growing conditions. I love growing lettuce and fresh homegrown lettuce really does taste so much better then what is available in most grocery stores.
How can you tell if romaine lettuce is bad? When romaine lettuce spoils, the head feels soft to the touch. Peeling away outer leaves might reveal a fresh core, but slimy leaves are usually a bad sign. Mushy romaine lettuce with an unpleasant odor should always be thrown away.
Swish Greens in Cool Water
Fill a large bowl or a clean sink with plenty of cool water. Add the lettuce or greens and swish them around to loosen and remove any dirt. Dirt and debris will sink to the bottom while the greens will magically float above all that mess.
Nerve plant (also known as Fittonia albivenis) is a wonderful tropical houseplant for tabletops, hanging baskets, and terrariums. It adds a distinctive touch to indoor decor because nerve plant's rich green leaves are touched with bright pink, red, or white veins.
Leaf veins
In leaves with netted veins, major veins branch from the main ribs and subdivide into finer veinlets. Fruit and deciduous trees, vegetable plants (not corn), most wildflowers, and many shrubs and flowers are examples of plants with netted veins.
Dicots have leaves with veins that connect and branch from each other. Veins in a branching pattern are called netted veins. A cross section of a leaf blade reveals a layer of cuticle covering a layer of epidermal cells.
Rumex sanguineus. This plant, also known as red-veined dock, is a taprooted perennial with a rosette of leaves distinctively marked with deep red or purple veins.
Lettuce can turn pink. The discoloration could be caused by several factors, including exposure to ethylene gas emitted by produce stored with the greens, fluctuations in temperature or exposure to too much oxygen. But, the lettuce is still entirely edible.
The purple occurring in purple lettuces is conferred on the plant's leaves by anthocyanins. According to the journal, Food and Nutrition Research, anthocyanins are water-soluble pigments which produce red, purple, and blue colors in fruits and vegetables.
Purple cabbage in a salad
Purple (Red) cabbage is nutrient rich vegetable, which is widely popular around the world. It is used in various recipes like soups, salads and warm dishes. In salads it adds a spike of vibrant color and nice texture. You may see tiny pieces of it in packaged mixed green salads.