Lettuce Love: Decorative & Nutritious Mesclun Mix 

Mesclun is from the Provençal region of France and translates to “mixture” as in a mixture of lettuce greens. The traditional Mesclun mix consists of chervil, arugula, endive, and lettuce in precise proportions, but nowadays, many other wild greens may be included. Create a mix suitable to your own palette by adding the frilly fronds of frisée, spicy mizuna, nutty-flavored mâche, or mahogany-red radicchio, watercress, parsley or other herbs. The objective is to have a mix that is sweet, spicy, bitter, crisp…and beautiful.  

Lettuces, herbs, container tomatoes, and edible flowers can be grown easily in planters on a sunny deck or porch where they are readily available at a quick snip for the kitchen cook. 

True or false?  The Bell Pepper Fable: Male bell peppers have three lobes and the female has four. Fact….or fiction when it comes to Capsicum annuum?  The only “relevant” resource I was able to locate that might address the answer to this question (raised by one of my Facebook friends today) was at Helium.com where the discussion of three lobes vs. four lobes is outlined in some detail. The bottom line: there’s a lot of discussion, but not necessarily a definitive answer one way or the other, after reading the article.  My own conclusion: it appears that the Fable of the Lobes may not be true, but I’d love to hear from someone well-versed in plant reproductive morphology who can shed more light on this issue.  The good news: bell peppers provide many health benefits which are outlined at WebMD.com (whether they have three lobes or four). Bell peppers are nutrient-dense, and contain high amounts of Vitamins A and C, and just one cup a day provides 100% of your daily A and C requirements. Bell peppers also provide protection against certain diseases and cancers, so go ahead - make a selection, any color, three lobes or four. A few recipes, here. 

True or false? 

The Bell Pepper Fable: Male bell peppers have three lobes and the female has four. Fact….or fiction when it comes to Capsicum annuum? 

The only “relevant” resource I was able to locate that might address the answer to this question (raised by one of my Facebook friends today) was at Helium.com where the discussion of three lobes vs. four lobes is outlined in some detail. The bottom line: there’s a lot of discussion, but not necessarily a definitive answer one way or the other, after reading the article. 

My own conclusion: it appears that the Fable of the Lobes may not be true, but I’d love to hear from someone well-versed in plant reproductive morphology who can shed more light on this issue. 

The good news: bell peppers provide many health benefits which are outlined at WebMD.com (whether they have three lobes or four). Bell peppers are nutrient-dense, and contain high amounts of Vitamins A and C, and just one cup a day provides 100% of your daily A and C requirements. Bell peppers also provide protection against certain diseases and cancers, so go ahead - make a selection, any color, three lobes or four. A few recipes, here. 

Inspiration for an Urban Kitchen Garden.

Tucked snugly around a terra cotta garden cloche in raised beds: lettuces, chives, rhubarb, and borage occupy a fairly small space. More ideas for the modern urban kitchen gardener include the use of creeping thyme as a ground cover and growing herbs and other vegetables in pots vertically, by arranging them on a vintage step ladder. The cold frame is built into the eaves of an A-frame structure. Take a look at your own outdoor space, and figure out which areas can be transformed into a more serviceable garden. 

Photos from the Malvern Spring Gardening Show by Sally Nex.

Page from a Dutch book on paper-making, a rare edition published in Amsterdam by Jan Christiaan Sepp (1770). Research on paper-making and experiments with vegetable materials as an alternative to “rags” was crucial at this time. Rags (recycled fibers from used textiles), were in short supply, so transforming different types of material into paper, without the use of rag fibers, became a necessity. Plant materials that were converted into paper products included tree moss, grapevine bark, hemp, stinging nettle, cabbage stalks, and hop tendrils, to name a few. Jacob Christian Schäffer (1718-1790) was the key figure in the research for rag alternatives, producing several volumes on his research. 

Page from a Dutch book on paper-making, a rare edition published in Amsterdam by Jan Christiaan Sepp (1770).

Research on paper-making and experiments with vegetable materials as an alternative to “rags” was crucial at this time. Rags (recycled fibers from used textiles), were in short supply, so transforming different types of material into paper, without the use of rag fibers, became a necessity. Plant materials that were converted into paper products included tree moss, grapevine bark, hemp, stinging nettle, cabbage stalks, and hop tendrils, to name a few. Jacob Christian Schäffer (1718-1790) was the key figure in the research for rag alternatives, producing several volumes on his research. 

The Book of Vegetables (1907), by Allen French. 
“Liquid manure” as spoken of in this book, can be conveniently made by immersing a bag of fresh horse manure in a tub of water. The product is strong in nitrogen, and is excellent as an application to plants which are expected to make a good stalk and leaf growth. The liquid manure should be applied dilute, and in small quantities; it should be put upon the ground, and never upon the plant itself. 


It’s much easier today, to apply liquid manure to flowers and vegetables. Here’s a source for Cow Manure Tea from Authentic Haven Brand, for the modern urban farmer.