Grow Mache for Fresh Winter Salads

The herb mache is as easy to grow as a weed — because it is a weed, or once was. Mache (Valerianella locusta) started out as a weed growing in European grain fields. It has become so popular as a winter salad green that today’s backyard and commercial gardens now cultivate several dozen varieties in North America and in Europe.

Whatcha Callit?

The herb goes by many fanciful names. In France, where it’s grown for sale all over Europe, it’s known as la mâche (pronounced mosh). In North America it’s known variously as mache lettuce, corn salad, corn lettuce, field salad, or field lettuce.

The terms corn salad and corn lettuce tend to be confusing to Americans, because Europeans call grain “corn,” and corn “maize.” So the terms corn salad and corn lettuce come from the fact that mache grows wild in grain fields — the same reason it’s called field salad and field lettuce.

Some foodies find it has a nut-like flavor. Hence, it is sometimes called nut lettuce.

It is also called lamb’s ear, lamb’s tongue, or lamb’s lettuce. The designations lamb’s ear and lamb’s tongue presumably refer to the spoon-like shape of the leaves, but can cause confusion, since an ornamental plant (Stachys byzantina) with long woolly leaves also goes by those names.

Some people believe the term lamb’s lettuce likewise derives from the resemblance of the leaves to a lamb’s ear or tongue. Others, however, claim it is called lamb’s lettuce because it appears in spring, about the time lambs are born, and is a favorite treat for young lambs.

How to Grow Mache

After trying different mache cultivars, I favor the growth and flavor characteristics of Mache Vit. It grows small, dark green oval leaves in tight rosettes between 2 and 5 inches in diameter and 2 to 3 inches tall.

Mache likes full sun in winter, and partial shade as the weather warms in spring. The time to sow it is when the weather turns cool enough in autumn (55°F to 68°F) for the soil temperature to fall below 68°F, but remain above 41°F

I scatter seeds in a small garden bed covered with a layer of sifted compost. To improve soil contact, I pat down the seeds with a flat hand.

Some gardeners prefer to sow mache in rows. That’s probably a good idea for at least the first-time grower, because you can more easily distinguish mache from “other” weeds.

If the fall weather is dry, I water just enough to keep the soil moist. In about two weeks the first tiny green leaves poke their heads above the soil.

Once winter weather sets in, mache doesn’t need watering. In fact, it requires little care of any kind to remain free of diseases and pests — except slugs and snails. Mache’s other greatest need for protection is from temperatures below 5°F.

In 50 or 60 days the rosettes become big enough to harvest. February is the month when I appreciate it most, because it provides fresh greens at a time when little else is growing in the garden.

You can cut the outer leaves 1 to 2 inches above the base for cut-and-come-again harvest. But I prefer to cut the plants low, so the attractive rosettes remain intact for serving. I like to harvest mache just before serving it.

It does keep well in the fridge for up to two weeks, though. To prevent wilting, cut plants after the sun has burned off morning frost.

How to Serve Mache

Mache may be served like any green as part of a mixed salad. It may be steamed, braised, or sautéed like spinach, or chopped and added to soups. My favorite way to serve mache is to place whole rosettes on a salad plate and top them with warm bacon vinaigrette:

Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

Spoon vinaigrette over well washed mache rosettes. Top with crumbled bacon.

This recipe makes ¾ cup, or enough for 4 servings. Mache with warm bacon vinaigrette goes really well with either fish or chicken.

Saving Mache Seeds

Gardeners in northern climates can grow mache year around. Here in Tennessee, as spring weather turns warm, mache bolts. Even though it remains tender and free of bitterness, at that point I stop harvesting and let the remaining plants go to seed.

When the tiny flower stalks mature, I shake out the ample seeds and save them for next fall. Some seeds inevitably fall to the ground. At temperatures greater than 70°F they go dormant. But come cool autumn weather, they sprout into a fresh patch of mache.

So, you see, mache is as easy to grow as a weed. In fact, it has naturalize as a weed in much of the North American East and parts of the West. If seeds mache sprout where you don’t want them to grow, simply turn the plants under as a beneficial green manure.