Flashy Butter Oak lettuce

(Lactuca sativa)

A dramatic and gorgeous lettuce bred by Frank Morton of Wild Garden Seeds, this is the result of a cross between ‘Flashy Troutback’ and ‘Emerald Oak.’ Slow to bolt and delicious.  Epitomises the remarks of Will Bonsall in his Essential Guide to Radical, Self-Reliant Gardening:

“Recent years have seen a gazillion varieties of lettuce of myriad colours and leaf textures.  Most of them, or so it seems, are the work of my friend Frank Morton out in Oregon, who is as much an artist as a breeder.  That’s really annoying, because when you grow out his stuff, you have to choose between eating it or mounting and framing it.  I’m not saying that food shouldn’t be beautiful, but sometimes Frank carries it a bit too far.  Fortunately the stuff all tastes great, too, I so I suppose one must endure it” (p.146).

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