Herb, Corn Salad Dutch (Mache)
50 in stock
Quick Overview
HERB, Corn Salad Dutch (Mache) –
Valerianello locusta var. olitoria
FULL SUN Native to Europe, this extremely cold hardy little (4-6 in.) plant has been cultivated for hundreds of years. It was brought to the US in the 1600s by early colonists. AKA Mache, it has been a fixture in salads forever. The fleshy leaves are sweet. Mache prefers cooler temperatures. Plant as soon as the ground can be worked in the spring and in mid to late summer for a fall crop. Rows should be 6-8 in. apart. When seedlings are 2 in. high, thin, leaving 5-7 in. between plants. Harvest throughout the season by cutting leaves off the plants, aggressively or cutting the entire rosette.
| Type | Spacing | Planting Depth | Days to Germination | Maturity |
| Perennial | 5-7 in. | 1/2 in. | 14-21 | 75 |
Herb, Corn Salad Dutch (Mache)
A very popular European culinary herb which is rarely used in the US, Corn Salad takes its name from the English because this little plant could be found growing prolifically among the plants in many English grain fields. In England, the word ‘corn’ refers to various kinds of grain, especially wheat.
Corn Salad is known by many names including the French-Mache, Lamb’s Ear, Lamb’s Lettuce and Fetticus.
The plant is extremely cold hardy and does best when the daytime temperatures do not exceed 75 degrees farenheit. It forms a low-growing rosette comprised of tender, fleshy, spoon-shaped leaves that have a subtle, sweet, nutty flavor. To harvest pinch the entire rosette, but individual leaves and thinnings can also be harvested earlier. Corn Salad is so cold resistant that if it is heavily mulched it can be harvested throughout most winters. In the South, it should be planted in the fall for a winter harvest.
