By Cheryl Hurd

An unending checkerboard of vivid greens, reds and purples highlighted by the morning sun captured our attention recently at the Salanova^® test garden in Goodyear, Arizona. We were among growers, buyers, agricultural experts and enthusiasts who gathered at Duncan Family Farms to learn about the new varieties of lettuce developed by Rijk Zwaan, a vegetable breeding company based in the Netherlands.

The farm, that grows specialty crops on more than 2,500 acres, including organic baby lettuce that is found in bagged salads, was chosen as a test site for Salanova. Wearing hairnets and new shoes to protect the integrity of the organic gardens, we left our straw bale perches, descended from tractor-drawn wagons and stepped gingerly between immaculately manicured rows.

It was here that Karen Marie Feliz, lettuce account manager for Rijk Zwaan, explained the different varieties thriving in the field, then demonstrated the ease of harvesting and coring each plant. With a swipe of her knife she removed the first head of lettuce from the earth. With a simple circular motion her blade removed the core and the leaves were released and fanned out for view of the buyers, growers and others in the tour group.

The leaves, small and uniform in size, separated into salad-ready greens. Feliz spread the bundle of leaves on the ground for viewing, then repeated the process several more times to reveal the abundance of leaves in each variety. Some leaves were rounded and flat, others were spikey and more three dimensional. Color ranged from light yellow green to a deep purple, demonstrating the diversity Salanova offers. Feliz described flavors as sweet, spicy, bitter or tangy depending on the leaf.

When demonstrating one of the butter varieties, Feliz said the Salanova heads have three times the number of leaves as regular butter lettuce. Some varieties have more than 200 leaves in a single head.  Salanova also yields twice as many pounds per acre and grows from seed to harvest in 105 days, she said. The breeders at Rijk Zwaan have taken years to develop these varieties, and continue to work on improving and expanding the product. Most recently, plants have been bred to stand more upright to accommodate mechanical harvesting. According to the company, the development of a wide range of varieties makes it possible to offer Salanova year-round.

A reception at the farm gave guests a chance to sample Salanova prepared by top chefs. A variety of crisp and colorful salads were offered as well as a rich soup created from the butter lettuce.

Company officials were at the event, as was Arnott Duncan, owner of Duncan Family Farms. Duncan said he was excited about Salanova. “Clearly, it’s not your grandmother’s lettuce.”