b'YEAR OF THE Salad GreensOrigin: Traced as far back as the ancient Greeks.Family: AsteraceaeGenus: Lactuca sativaIncludes: Salad greens include many of the Asteraceae family, including lettuce, chicories, spinach dandelion greens. History: Most leafy greens got their start not for health, but instead as an aphrodisiac. Leafy relations to modern romaine are depicted in paintings alongside, for example, Min, the Egyptian god of fertility. The fertility depictions continued in paintings Leonardo da Vinci created as well, such as the Leda. In the 1500s, raw, leafy vegetables covered in dressing were estab-lished in the Roman diet. The name for salad, in fact, comes from the Latin word herba salta which translates to salted herb, due to the oily dressings used. Popular Varieties: Cheap Frills Mix, a mix from Johnnys Seeds thats a good intro-duction to different leaf types. Oceanside, a dark green spinach thats versatile and can be used as baby leaf or full-sized leaves.Marciano, a compact red butterhead with burgundy outer leaves and bright green leaves on the interior.For Added Flavor: Asian greens, chard, herbs and tops of beets and turnips add in flavor and different visual appeal to your salads. Did You Know?: Ancient Greeks and Romans thought eating let-tuce helped you to have a good nights sleep.Breeders: Osborne Quality Seeds, Totally Tomatoes, Jung Seed, Burpee, Urban Farmer, Territorial Seed Company, Johnnys Selected Seeds, Botanical Interests, Pinetree, Park Seed Co, Ferry Morse, Seeds N Such, True Leaf Market, Gurneys Seed & Nursery Co, Gardens Alive!, Willhite Seed Inc, Hoss, Early May, West Coast Seeds, A.P. Whaley, Harris Seeds Source: National Garden Bureau24/ SEEDWORLD.COMFEBRUARY 2022'