PRODUCT
INFORMATION
Eldorado Living
Eldorado Living, is us partnering with ‘Mother Nature’ to produce carefully nurtured living greens – all the way from seed into something spectacular & full of life! Eldorado Living is the trade mark of our range of premium leafy greens – it incudes the following varieties…
Iceberg
Lettuce
Iceberg (Crisp) lettuce, the most popular variety across the globe, adds fresh crunch and juiciness to a wide variety of meals
Celery
Our Celery, bursting with goodness, has rapidly created its own market presence and brand following
Trio
Lettuce
Trio, our most eye catching product, is a delicious combination of fancy leaf lettuce
Butter
Lettuce
Butter lettuce is our soft, creamy and easy to eat lettuce line
Cos (Romaine)
Lettuce
Cos (Romaine) lettuce, famous for Cesar salads, is a bold, burst of crunchiness
Baby Gem
Lettuce
Baby Gem Lettuce is compact in size, has a reputation as the sweetest of all lettuce varieties, plus it has tender leaves and a rich flavour profile
Eldorado Premium Varieties
Let us Love Lettuce
Salads, burgers and some of our favourite sandwiches would simply not be the same without the fresh crunch and juiciness of lettuce. This leafy green shows up on tables across the globe and has become so familiar that we seldom stop to think about how it landed up on our plate, or to appreciate its real benefits.
Lettuce is part of the Asteraceae family, which puts it among the colourful company of Chrysanthemums, Zinnias, Sunflowers, Dahlias and daisies. It was cultivated for its medicinal properties over 2000 years ago in Egypt and Greece. There are even some hieroglyphic records that suggest lettuce was grown over 6000 years ago.
Oil was extracted from the seeds and the leaves used for a variety of ailments but, at first, it was not thought of as a food. One story tells of Augustus Caesar building a statue for lettuce because he believed this, now well known leafy vegetable, helped him overcome a serious illness.
It was the Egyptians who were the first to appreciate this as a nutritional addition to their diet. Once they began to cultivate lettuce as a food crop they were followed by the Greeks, and then later by the Romans and other civilisations. Lettuce can now be found on plates throughout the world and in a wide variety of dishes.
This cool-weather crop can be grown throughout the year. It is grown in most of the vegetable producing countries, the biggest producers being countries like Spain and the USA.
There are many varieties of lettuce, but the most widely-known are: Iceberg (or crisp lettuce), Butter Lettuce and Romaine.
The Iceberg lettuce is by far the most widely consumed lettuce and there is an interesting story of how it got its name. Modern ways of transporting lettuce, and other leafy greens, preserve their freshness, but that was not always the case. Lettuce often spoiled quickly if not transported cold. In the early 20th century, before refrigerated transport was possible, a simple solution to this was to be found in California. Huge amount of ice was packed into the containers used for carrying lettuce and other fresh veggies in train carriages. Of course, much of this melted along the way and, when the doors were opened at the end of the trip, there would be ‘icebergs’ floating on the top.
Lettuce has a high water content (over 90%) and it is one of the leafy greens often thought to contain little or no nutrition. This is not altogether true; lettuce does in fact have some important nutrients to offer. Another little know truth about lettuce is that the darker green lettuce leaves are more nutritious than lighter leaves.
Lettuce is a smart low GI food choice because of its low calorie count, and because it is has a low sugar and low sodium content. It is best eaten raw as it has micronutrients which are lost if cooked too much. Lettuce also contains lactucarium, a milky fluid, that has sedative and analgesic properties, which can help in inducing sleep.
Consider this summary of the nutritional value to be found in one cup (36g) of shredded iceberg lettuce.
Firstly, lettuce is a good source of fibre (100mg), which promotes gut health and digestion. Next, it has a calorie content of only 10, of which, 71% is from carbohydrates, 24% is from protein, and 6% is from fat. It also has important antioxidants, including beta-carotene (2.15mg), vitamin C (4mg) and lutein, which are helpful for building immunity and aid in fighting cancer.
Finally, lettuce has a good mix of vitamins and minerals. The most important of these are Vitamins A, K and Folate (B9), and useful minerals like Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium.
Put lettuce in the fridge as soon as it you can so that the chill can slow down the natural processes that ripen vegetables.
The high water content in a head of lettuce is enough to keep it crisp and can be stored whole in a fridge in an airtight container. Alternatively, remove the stem and then break the lettuce so that you have loose leaves. Don’t cut the lettuce as cutting with a knife will cause the lettuce to brown. Wash the loose leaves and spin dry. These should then be stored in a container that seals well, preferably one that has a breather, or a Ziplock bag.
Bagged lettuce (loose leaves) will also benefit if washed and gently patted dry with a paper towel before storing in the fridge in the same way described above. Bagged lettuce does need to be used much quicker though, as it will not keep as long as an Iceberg head of lettuce.
Do wash, rinse, and gently dry all lettuce before eating.
Ethylene-emitting fruits may promote ripening in leafy greens and cause decay more quickly, so it is best to store these separately. Most harvested fruits release ethylene gas, and that includes tomatoes.
You need a better celery
Celery is a versatile vegetable that can be used to add nutritional crunch to raw salads, or as an ideal scoop for tasty dips, and to add extra goodness and mild flavouring to soups, stews, and even smoothies.
Native to the Mediterranean and Middle East regions, celery is a marsh plant and can be found in tidal tributaries. It is classified in the same family (Apiaceae) as carrots, turnips and parsley.
We know that celery was grown more than 3,000 years ago, but there is some archaeological evidence that celery seeds were being transported as far back as 4,000 B.C. Celery is mentioned in Homer’s, “The Iliad” and, in is his epic, “Odyssey,” meadows of violet and wild celery surround Calypso’s cave.
Ancient Greeks would weave celery leaves into the victory crowns presented to winning athletes in their athletic events.
Before it was widely used as a food, the ancient Chinese used it as medicine. Hippocrates described celery as a nerve soother and medicinal usage was also recorded in the Middle Ages. As a medicinal plant, it has been used to treat a variety of ailments. These include toothache, insomnia, gout, rheumatism, anxiety, and arthritis.
The ancient Greeks and Romans may eventually have used celery as flavouring, but the cultivation of celery as a food began in Italy and France. While the first record of celery being used for food is from France and dates to 1623, it is believed that this usage began in the 1500s in Italy. Celery that is grown today can reach a height of nearly one meter and only 28gram of seed can produce one acre of celery.
Celery has a high water content (95%) and all parts of the plant are edible. It was once thought to be a “negative-calorie” food – a food that takes more energy to burn than the energy the food contains – but this is not true. Celery has far more nutritional value than what is generally known. One cup of celery juice contains about 70 calories, but only 11 grams of sugar. Its most significant nutrients are carbohydrates, followed by protein, and trace amounts of fat.
One stalk of celery has 10% of the daily requirement of Vitamin A, a vitamin that promotes good vision. One cup of chopped celery (about 101 gram) provides roughly 6% of a person’s daily fibre needs and 30% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin K. It is also rich in Vitamin C, and has traces of vitamin B6 and folate.
Studies have shown that celery (and celery seeds) contain nutrients that benefit digestion and can improve the lining of the stomach. It is thought to help for heartburn because of its low acidity and the presence of magnesium, some sodium and iron. It also contains phytonutrient antioxidants, which give it anti-inflammatory properties. Antioxidants also have antibacterial, and anti-viral properties. Antioxidants in celery do disappear after some time and, ideally, it should be eaten within seven days after purchase.
Celery contains phthalide, which has been shown to relax the muscles of the arteries, which in turn causes them to expand and help to lower blood pressure. The are also studies that suggest celery could help with the prevention of cancer and Alzheimer’s.
The fibre in celery can pick up excess cholesterol compounds in the intestines and help to remove this from the body. There is some research that shows 2 stalks of celery a day reduce LDL, which is often labelled as ‘bad’ cholesterol. This is because celery contains Phthalides, which help to lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
Buying a whole head of celery is the most economical way to buy this vegetable, but how do you keep it fresh and crisp? Celery goes limp when it loses moisture.
Celery benefits from the chill a fridge provides, but fridges are generally dry places. A good way to extend the shelf life of celery in your fridge is to wash it and cut it into lengths that suit you. A small amount of the moisture should be left on the stems. These should then be sealed in an airtight container, preferably one that has a breather, or a Ziplock bag.
Celery can be frozen for up to two months if it is only going to be used for dishes like soups and stews. It can be pre-cut, or even pre-chopped, and then frozen in the quantities that you would need for a dish.
