malic and tartaric acids.
Mâche Mâche, also known as lamb’s lettuce
or corn salad (Valerianella locusta and V.
eriocarpa), has small, tender, slightly
mucilaginous leaves and a distinctive,
complex, fruity-flowery aroma (from various
esters, linalool, mushroomy octenol, and
lemony citronellol), which make it a popular
addition or alternative to a lettuce salad in
Europe.
Nettles Nettles (Urtica dioica) are a common
Eurasian weed that has now spread throughout
the Northern Hemisphere. They’re notorious
for their stinging hairs, which have a brittle
silicate tip and a gland that supplies a cocktail
of irritant chemicals, including histamine, for
injection when skin meets needle. The hairs
can be disarmed by a quick blanch in boiling
water, which releases and dilutes the
chemicals. But the harvest and washing
require protective gloves. Nettles are made