Seen At The Market: Lollo Rossa Lettuce

What a beautiful day to be at the farmers' market. And looking at the crowds in San Francisco, I wasn't the only one who had that idea. I was at the Ferry Building farmers' market this morning and it was packed with locals and tons of tourists soaking in the summer sun with breathtaking views of the Bay Bridge and water. This is why I live here despite the 4.2 earthquake a couple of days ago centered in Oakland (the city I live in, BTW). Anywho, there were tons of summer squash, tomatoes and other vegetables at the market, but this vibrantly red leafy lettuce caught my eye at the Green Gulch Farm booth. This is a Lollo Rossa lettuce, and it's an Italian lettuce that is more compact than the normal red leafy lettuce you see at the grocery stores. They are so beautiful.

Other notes about the market: lemon cucumbers are popping up, and I bought a bag of these cute cucumbers that look like lemon but holds such a nice crunch. I eat it by itself with a miso dressing. There are a lot of heirloom tomatoes too but still they're not at the peak of varieties, and the red flame seedless grapes (my favorites) are still not crunchy enough (probably another month). Go out and support your local farmers' market!