Happy Boy Produce

Little Gems

    Lovely Little Gems

  • 3
  • 2
  • 1

SEASON: Year-round

 

KEEP YOUR GREENS FRESH: Rewashing our salad can shorten its shelf life, as any water left over starts spoiling the leaves. Putting a dry paper towel into your bag or spinner of greens can help absorb water, and keeping the bags sealed with an amount of air in them also keeps the greens from getting clumped, squished and water-logged.

Little Gem

These Gems will Rock Your World

Posted by Tent

Little gem lettuces are another up and coming Happy Boy salad variety and customers are quickly catching on. Restaurants and chefs as well - there isn't a new spot in SF's Mission District that doesn't have some kind of little gem dish on the menu. Often described as a cross between butter lettuce and romaine, little gem also exhibits the best parts of both varieties when it comes to taste and texture: it has the satisfying crunch of romaine and butter lettuce's characteristic sweetness. Additionally, it's juicy without tasting watery, thick enough to dip and still tender enough to wrap other foods with.

We offer both whole heads of little gem as well as the innermost flavorful hearts, that we cut at the stem, separate, wash and spin dry. Little gem works great with creamier dressings like buttermilk ranch, green goddess and creamy caesar and soft to medium cheeses like ricotta, brie, goat and blue. Crisp apples and hazelnuts perfectly complement its texture and taste, and citrus and other soft fruits benefit from its contrasting crunch. The heads, cut in half, can even stand up to a little heat - when pan-fried with butter and a dash of lemon they brown to perfection - definitely an unexpected but surprisingly delicious option.

Storage

Keeping our salad cold and preventing excess moisture build-up is the key to extending its crisp freshness. Try to put it in the fridge as soon as possible.

Nutrition

Little gems are very low in calories and are a good source of vitamins A, C and K.

Recipes & Pairings

    2 Total Recipes

Little gems are great for dipping, wrapping and salads. They work well with richer dressings and also make a great - and very easy - Ceasar salad.