Corn Salad

Valerianella locusta

Corn salad is a small, weedy-looking vegetable that grows in a basal rosette of round to spoon-shaped leaves up to 6 in (15.2 cm) long. The whole rosette is never more than 1 ft (0.3 m) across. The leaves are tender, smooth, and slightly succulent. With the onset of warm weather, corn salad sends up a branched stalk about 1 ft (0.3 m) tall with smaller stem leaves and topped with rounded clusters of tiny silver-blue flowers.

Growing Tips: Water when soil becomes dry. Corn salad can tolerate frost and freezing temperatures.

Position: Sun to Part Sun

Height: 20cm Width: Spreading

Lifespan: Annual

Use: Corn salad has a delicate, sweet, nutlike flavor and a juicy texture that seems to melt in the mouth. In tossed salads, corn salad complements stronger flavored greens like endive, chicory, cress and some of the more bitter lettuces. The tender leaves are delicious with crisp salad veggies like bell peppers, carrots and radishes. The cup-shaped leaves of many of the cultivars catch the salad dressing. Corn salad is a popular tossed salad ingredient in Europe, and becoming popular in trendy North American big city restaurants. Use corn salad in potato salads and omelets, too.

Harvest: Harvest regularly