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Corn salad, also known as Rapunzel, is a delicious and mild-tasting green that can be used in salads or cooked like spinach. It is low in calories and easy to grow, but can be considered a pest in some areas and may be treated with herbicides. It is often sold in salad mixes at high prices.
When Rapunzel’s mother coveted the rampion and stole it from the witch nearby, she made a mistake. For these tender lettuce leaves from a plant, also called corn salad, she had to give up her poor child. To the modern reader of this fairy tale, wanting corn salad at that price point seems pretty ridiculous. The plant, Varianellla locusta, which grows in Europe, Africa, Asia and now also wild in North America, is certainly not worth your firstborn.
However, corn salad, which may also be called Rapunzel, after the old tale, remains a delicious green salad and is great for use in the winter when fully ripe and fresh. You can also cook the green as you would spinach or substitute it for spinach in Greek salads. Unlike some of the other “wild lettuces,” field lettuce or corn salad is known for its mild taste, not bitter, spicy, or peppery. The green has inspired other names such as lamb’s tongue, as the individual leaves of the plant are roughly the same size and shape as a sheep’s or lamb’s tongue. The green is believed by some to have a distinct nutty flavor, inspiring the name nutty lettuce.
A corn salad “by any other name” would be just as good. In wild green or green blends, it often balances smaller, tangy leaves of lettuce such as arugula. Also, because the plant is so hardy, it can be grown relatively easily. In the United States, the rampion can be considered a pest or weed species since it has proliferated well as a wild plant and will return every year to taunt gardeners who don’t appreciate it.
When grown specifically, lettuce corn grows in low, low leaf formations. The largest leaves are nearly flat to the ground, while the central section of the plant is usually arranged in what is called a rosette pattern. As any chef will tell you, the young leaves in the center of the plant usually taste sweeter and fresher. The large leaves about 6 inches long can still be excellent in soups and stews.
Nutritionally, you can’t beat corn salad as a low-calorie food. One cup (56 grams) has only 12 calories. The question remains if you’ll be able to find it in places like your local grocery store. It tends to be sold in salad mixes, and not on its own, at fairly high prices. There is a certain irony in this given its growth in abundance in the wild.
If you notice this green growing in driveways, vacant lots, or parks, you may want to think twice before harvesting it. Since it is considered a pest, particularly in North America, it is often treated with herbicides, which are definitely not healthy to consume. If you want instant access to salad corn, you might want to try growing your own. Seed catalogs usually have the seeds for this lettuce for you, and in mild climates, you may be able to have winter lettuce and field fresh lettuce in early spring.
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