Lettuce

Hi, I’m Lucy Lettuce!

Are you ready to learn

all about lettuce?

I don’t have any

vegetable jokes yet,

so if you do,

“lettuce” know!

Let’s get reading!

WHAT WE ARE

LEARNING TODAY

• Daisies and sunflowers

share the same family as

lettuce.

• Lettuce was first referred to

as 'rabbit food’ in the 1930s.

• Lettuce is the second most

popular fresh vegetable in

the United States.

• Can you guess what the #1

favorite vegetable is?

FUN FACTS

FRESH

IS BEST!

Lettuce does not

preserve well…

It cannot be:

• frozen

• canned

• dried

• or pickled

LOTS OF

LETTUCE

• Crisphead, romaine,

butterhead,

escarole, loosleaf

and endive.

• Can you think of

other types of

lettuce?

Crisphead ButterheadRomaine

Escarole EndiveLooseleaf

LOOSELEAF

“LEAF

LETTUCE”

• Most heat tolerant and

easy to grow lettuce

• Loosely bunched

leaves

• Harvest by cutting the

outer leaves

• Main varieties: red or

green leaf

BUTTERHEAD

LETTUCE

• Fairly weather tolerant

• Small delicate lettuce

head

• Harvest the entire head,

or outer leaves

• Main varieties: Boston

or Bibb

ROMAINE

LETTUCE

• Cool season crop only,

will not grow in warm

weather

• Colorful, upright

clusters of leaves

• Cultivated for over

5,000 years!

• Main varieties: Cos

(named after the Greek

Island Kos)

CRISPHEAD

LETTUCE

• Most difficult lettuce to

grow

• Spherical head of pale

green, tightly wrapped

leaves

• Commonly known as

iceberg

• Main varieties: Cos

(named after the Greek

Island Kos)

WHERE DO

THEY GROW?

Glades, Hendry, Martin,

Okeechobee and Palm

Beach counties produce

Lettuce in Florida.

Which region of Florida

grows the most lettuce?

LETTUCE ANATOMY

Lettuce Lingo!

This should be a

good read!Spine

Leaf

Rib

Roots

BRAIN BREAK

FRESH FIND

• Romaine

• Leafy

• Greens

• Iceberg

• Escarole

• Salad

• Dressing

• Crisp

GROWING

LETTUCE

Lettuce loves company! Carrots, radishes,

strawberries and cucumbers are great

companion plants to lettuce.

Click here to see the video!

LET’S GROW

SOME LETTUCE

VIDEO QUESTIONS

1. What are the ideal seasons to plant lettuce?

2. What are the two types of lettuce? Give an

example of each.

3. What is the general rule for planting seeds?

4. About how far apart should you plant if you have

multiple rows?

What is your

favorite

lettuce?

3-5 MATH

TALLY SHEET

I LIKED IT IT’S OK I TRIED IT

Lettuce Sample #1

Lettuce Sample #2

Lettuce Sample #3

Lettuce Sample #4

Lettuce Sample #5

Are you ready

to taste some

lettuce?

3-5 MATH

CLASS TALLY RESULTS

I LIKED IT IT’S OK I TRIED IT

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

Total ____

Whole ____

Ratio ____:____

Total ____

Whole ____

Ratio ____:____

Total ____

Whole ____

Ratio ____:____

Part-to-Whole

Ratio

3-5 Social Studies

What is an entrepreneur?

A person who starts a

business and is willing

to risk loss in order to

make money.

LET’S MEET

A FLORIDA

ENTREPRENEUR

The Dasher Farm is a family-run

operation in Suwannee County. Sarah

and Justin work alongside their parents

Randall and Pam. In 1986, Dasher Farm

built several greenhouses to grow a

variety of vegetables (including lettuce)

and herbs hydroponically.

3-5 Social Studies

Introducing Hydroponics

“Hydro” means

“water” in Greek.

“Ponics” comes from the

word “geoponics,” which is

the science of agriculture or

farming in soil.

3-5 SOCIAL STUDIES

Florida’s Agriculture Industry

Which jobs provide goods? What about services?

List some examples.

Farmer Inspector Distributor Grocer Chef

3-5 Social Studies

Starting an Agri-BusinessNEEDS

• Money

• Building or facility

• Skilled staff

• Furniture, computers,

equipment

RISKS

• Market variables - supply & demand

• Economic crash

• Competition

• Natural disasters

REWARD:

Love what you do!

3-5 SCIENCE

Life Cycle of a Plant

3-5 SCIENCE

Parts of a Plant

ROOT

Plant roots anchor the plant

to the ground. Roots absorb

many necessary nutrients

and water from the soil.

Some roots, such as carrots

and beets, are also used as

storage areas for

carbohydrates.

Tap

Root

Fibrous

Root

3-5 SCIENCE

Parts of a Plant

STEM

The stem holds up a plant and

provides structural support.

They also transport the

essential water and nutrients

that the roots collect and

deliver them to the leaves and

other parts of the plant.

3-5 SCIENCE

Parts of a Plant

LEAF

The leaf’s primary job is to

absorb sunlight and use it to

create food for the plant. It

does this through

photosynthesis.

3-5 SCIENCE

Parts of a Plant

FLOWER

Flowers serve a vital function to

the plant. They allow the plant to

reproduce and are the site of

fruit and, therefore, seed

production. Certain plants rely

on pollinators to reproduce and

attract insects to their colorful

flagrant flowers.

Eggplant

Flower

Strawberry

Flower

Tomato

Flower

3-5 SCIENCE

Parts of a Plant

FRUIT

Fruits are produced after a

flower has been fertilized.

They function as a container

for the seeds. Most

‘vegetables’ are technically

fruits. Can you name some?

3-5 SCIENCE

Parts of a Plant

SEED

Seeds are plant embryos.

They form in the fruit of a

plant and, if planted, will

grow into a seedling. Seeds

are essential to the survival

of most plant species.

3-5 SCIENCE

What are the edible parts of these plants?

Broccoli Plant Lettuce Plant Tomato Plant

Flower

Stem

Leaf

Stem

Fruit

• Asparagus

• Sunflower

• Celery

• Carrot

• Watermelon

• Corn

• Grapefruit

• Artichoke

• Onion

• Peas

• Orange

• Spinach

• Cabbage

• Turnips

• Beet

• Strawberry

WHAT ARE WE EATING?

Can you

think of any

others?

3-5 SCIENCE

Edible Plants Parts Diary

This week, I ate fruit and vegetables in these categories:

Day of

WeekRoots Stems Leaves Flowers Fruits Seeds

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

3-5 LANGUAGE ARTS

Adjectives

Adjectives are words that

describe or modify nouns or

pronouns.

Adjectives are usually right

before the noun or pronoun

since their purpose it to

describe the noun. She liked the pink grapefruit.

She liked the sweet, juicy grapefruit.

3-5 LANGUAGE ARTS

Adjectives

Adjectives are usually placed before the noun/pronoun.

I love to eat sweet, colorful salads.

But sometimes they come after the noun.

Salads are delicious

and healthy.

3-5 LANGUAGE ARTS

Lettuce Poem

Crispy green,

sometimes bitter

yet tender,

ruffled edges

of a smooth leaf,

my favorite salad

How many adjectives can

you spot in this poem?

Think of some adjectives from A-Z to describe

CRISPHEAD LETTUCE

Think of some adjectives from A-Z to describe

GRAPEFRUIT

Think of some adjectives from A-Z to describe

WATERMELON

Think of some adjectives from A-Z to describe

MUSHROOMS

Think of some adjectives from A-Z to describe

MILK

Start with a dark, green leafy base

Romaine lettuce, spinach, spring mix, kale,

arugula

Include plenty of fruits and vegetables

Berries, diced apples, grapes, cucumbers,

tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, avocado

Pump up the lean protein

Grilled chicken or fish, diced turkey or ham,

hard-boiled egg, beans, unsalted nuts and

seeds

Add a healthy dose of whole-grains

Quinoa, brown rice, whole-wheat couscous,

barley

Top it off

Homemade or low-fat vinaigrette, salsa or

fresh-squeezed citrus

BUILD A

HEALTHY

SALAD

Visit Fresh From Florida for more tasty recipes!

NUTRITION

NUGGET

• Dark green lettuce leaves are

an excellent source of fiber

and vitamins A, C and K!

• Vitamin A is essential for good

vision and healthy skin.

• Vitamin C helps your immune

system stay strong and

supports healthy gums.

• Vitamin K is important for

bone health and blood

clotting.

Eat your salad greens!

Did you know?

The greener the

lettuce leaf, the

more nutrients

it provides.

Iceberg lettuce got it’s nickname

in the 1920s because growers shipped

it around the country in rail cars

covered in crushed ice.

DID YOU KNOW?

GROWING A

SALAD GREEN

GARDEN

Growing lettuce from seed! Learn how to plant

seeds by watching this video from our

Fresh for Florida Kids Teaching Garden.

Click here to see the video!

Garden Tag: One student is the

farmer. When a student is tagged or

“planted” by the farmer they:

1. Turn into a seed – sitting on the

ground;

2. Sprout – kneel or crouch ;

3. Grow a few leaves – arms reach

out;

4. Become a seedling – stand up

and wave arms; and

5. Are ready to harvest – strike a

pose.

LET’S GET

MOVING!

Iceberg

What's a penguin's favorite salad green?

Lettuce turnip the beet!

What did the vegetables say at the garden party?

Everyone, romaine calm. Iceberg right ahead!

What did the captain say just

before the Titanic sank?

Knock Knock!

Who's there?

Lettuce.

Lettuce who?

Lettuce in, it’s

cold out here!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Want to grow a school garden program? Find out how to get started at

FreshFromFlorida.com/FarmtoSchool.

The National Farm to School Network has some great success stories. Visit

www.FarmtoSchool.org for some inspiration today!

Featuring Florida-grown produce on your menu today? Find some fresh ideas at

www.FreshFromFlorida.com/Recipes.

Teaching nutrition education in the classroom? USDA Team Nutrition has a stacked

library. Go to www.FNS.USDA.gov/TN/resources-library.