"That you shall rise fresh like a leaf of lettuce"

Good week my dears,
1. When a seed does not sprout it rots. In the ground that's not a problem, we only wait and hope in vein.... In the sprout growing process, where many seeds grow together, one rotten seed can spoil them all. In the last weeks, due to misalignment between the weather and I, my plan was lacking and there were failures. So I found alternative growers to supply sprouts. If you wish to receive sprouts grown only by me J please let me know.
2. Hardoof no longer produce Pita breads.
3. I apologize for my response time. most my work is done in the garden or packing. There is no reception in the garden and I am not near the computer. I promise to get back to you for any issue! It is important that you know - I am committed to solve, resolve and answer everything!! My apologies and thanks for your patience.

"May you rise fresh as a leaf of lettuce, for the glory of the state of Israel" quote from the internet.

On a sunny day like today, the green leaves are spotted with sparkling drops of rain. Weather like this is a special delight for us and for the cultivated leaves we chose to grow. Also weeds that identify these optimal conditions join in and begin their own life cycle. As far as weeds go, some are welcome to stay in the garden, like Hubeza, wood sorrel and nettle and there are those that we are in a never ending race trying to slow them down and keep them away from the garden.

In the winter season we manage to grow many kinds of lettuce, a winter crop of course, so we have an abundant variety now. In the summer we do well only with the leaf lettuce or by her other names as romaine and arab and Kos ( as the island of Hipocrates), which is more durable in our warm weather.

Lettuce for fertility or not? Arab or roman? In the beginning of the meal or at the end?

Hera, the greek goddess of motherhood and family, had 4 children: the god of war - Ares, the goddess of childbirth - Eileithyia, the goddess of youth - Hebe, and the god of Fire, Metalworking, Stone masonry, and the Art of Sculpture - Hephaestus. According to several versions, Hera was impregnated and gave birth to her children with no help from Zeus (or any other man) but by eating a head of lettuce!

The Egyptians believed that the lettuce, which discrete a "milky" liquid (when picking the liquid comes out of the stem, even more so in the summer) is a symbol of manhood. On the other hand -maggie to fill in this sentence..

The lettuce, a seasonal crop, a member of the Compositae family, is called in the botanical tongue - Lactuce Sativa.

The Latin name is derived from the word meaning milk. Same reason for the French name Laitue.
"Sativa" means it was grown from seed. There are almost 100 species of milk-like liquid that belong to the kind Lactuca. Most of them are not edible because they are very bitter or even poisonous. Only this kind is edible and includes all the species we eat. Still, when the plant flowers or gets hot it becomes bitter.
In Russian its called Salat and in german Gartensalat - no need to explain. To us that makes perfect sense, but in the far east it is grown for stem that is very tasty sautéed or cooked. Advisable and worth a try. I added recipes in the end.
History:
The Romans used to eat the lettuce (cooked) at the end of the meal to fall asleep better. Rufus claimed that lettuce obscures the senses and dulls the thought, and indeed lettuce contains alkaloids, a natural medicine believed to have attributes similar to those of opium! Glan, from Pergamon in ancient Greece, believed that lettuce increases the apetite and the Egyptians used to eat lettuce at the beginning of the meal... The personal physician of Augustus, the Roman Caesar, believed that lettuce regulated bowel movements and provided a deeper better sleep.

The use of lettuce for food and medicine is very ancient. It was grown by the Chinese for cooking back in the ancient period and murals of lettuce were found in Egypt dating from 4500 BC. In the Karnak temple there are carvings of the lettuce-milk being served to the god מין , to whom the lettuce was sacred. The romans were probably the first to grow lettuce in their garden and Columbus was the one who presented it to the new world. Such primitive lettuce is still grown for the purpose of extracting oil from the seeds.

In Persia, 2000 years ago, lettuce was considered the food of kings. The greek Hippocrates and the Roman Aristol wrote about its attributes; our ancestors grew lettuce in their garden; and it is mentioned in scriptures as follows: when the Lord spared the children of Israel " מאי חזרת חסא, מאי חסא, דחס רחמנא עליון" . The explanation why it should be eaten in Passover: "מה חזרת (חסא), תחילתה מתוק וסופה מר, כך עשו המצריים לאבותינו; מרור שתחילתו רך וסופו קשה ". Just like lettuce - in the beginning it is sweet and soft, as it matures it becomes bitter and hard.
In Israel there are a number of wild lettuces that are not at all similar to the lettuce we eat.

Contributions to the community:
The jews of Yemen - eating lettuce fresh and raw cures infections of the eyes, kidney and liver and stomach aches. Strengthens the heart.
Morocco - drinking boiled lettuce seeds cures infections in the kidney and liver; eating fresh enhances milk production of nursing mothers.
Iraq - drinking lettuce juice "turns on" the vision of people with eyes that are "turned off" and enhances milk production.
The milky liquid of lettuce contains alkaloids, and in natural medicine it is believed to have attributes similar to those of opium! Lettuce is considered a relaxant, a soother and a pain reliever. Brewing the entire lettuce plant is good to calm coughing.

Medicinal activity (by the Plant Society):
Calms and encourages a good sleep; assists the kidneys to extract liquids from the body; reduces blood sugar levels; calms the digestive tract; accelerates blood circulation; a warm extract of lettuce leaves helps during asthma attacks and relieves menstrual pains.

Special abilities:
In 2 cups of cut lettuce you can get 100% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin K, 80% of vitamin A, 30% of vitamin C and 40% of pholic acid. In addition, you also get calcium, potassium, iron and anti-oxidants.
lettuce, especially the darker ones, is one of the only common sources for the anti-oxidant (the pigment) Lotain. Lotain contributes to the health of the eyes and probably also to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.
According to Chinese medicine and because of its green color, the lettuce is considered as a cooling and calmer. They also claim it has a soothing effect on the nervous system and that it improves sleeplessness. It is also good for treating constipation and anemia. The lettuce is rich in nutritional fibers and is easy to digest.
Lettuce is recommended, by folk medicine, for increasing milk production of nursing mothers. Lettuce can be added to fruit juices! Should do good to the liver.

Sensitivities:
Heat will cause early blossoming and the leaves will become bitter. Lettuce likes the shade, but not too much.

The ability to make the most also in lacking situations:
On a busy night with missing ingredients, the Italian chef Caesar Kardini that immigrated to Tijuana had agreat idea and invented the Caesar salad that the only vegetables it includes is lettuce!!

How to store:
Dry in the fridge in a sealed bag or container.

Have a fresh, healthy and fun week.
Yours,
Maggie and the team

Recipes for cooked lettuce:
Pasta with lettuce http://maggiesgarden.co.il/-109/
Lettuce soup http://maggiesgarden.co.il/-108/
Veal with lettuce http://maggiesgarden.co.il/-110/

and I expect our baskets to look like this:

Tomatoes

Cuccumbers

Lettuce!

Parsley

Celery

Sweet potatoes????

Cabbage

Potatoes

Little peppers

Avocadoes

In the big ones also:

Green Mustard

Corriander

another Lettuce

Spinach

Green Garlic?

Fruit baskets:

Apples

Bananas

Oranges

and Pomelit