Just read a fab post by Michelle at Veg plotting about leaves that can take all this damp weather we’ve been having and one of her images was of this beauty Cos ‘Freckles’. I noticed this variety in Sarah Raven’s catalogue last year as it needed ‘plenty of water, but not too much sun’. I couldn’t have predicted the weather (or hose pipe ban!), but I hoped it might do well on a bit of ground that only gets 3 or 4 hours of sun in the morning. I merrily sowed seeds in modules at the end of February, planted them out about 6 weeks later in our community front garden and have been happily picking and eating them for the last month or so, and sharing the bounty with a few other neighbours too. Following Charles Dowding’s advice, we pick the outer healthy leaves, leaving the small inner leaves to carry on growing, enabling us to harvest over a longer period.
Although not completely devoid of slug damage, they’ve held up really well compared to other crops grown in the same garden, but I’ve also planted them bang slap in the centre of the plot, leaving other veg nearer walls to fight off (not always very successfully) armies of slugs and snails.
I love the look of this Cos lettuce, where some plants ‘freckle up’ more than others, and it has a great texture, slightly crunchy at the base, but with plenty of softness in the rest of the leaf too. Just about to sow another batch as it can be planted up to the beginning of September for autumn (and possibly winter?) leaves. Most definitely on next year’s list already.
Out of my shed 
That’s brilliant! Wow! What lovely lettuce, love how you planted it! Making me hungry just looking at it! Will add to my list too….
Hi Petra, yes, I’m delighted with this handsome lettuce. Always good to try new varieties and I found ‘Cocarde’ to be a rather stylish pointy red oak leaf too, although sadly it has not been so adept at avoiding slugs and snails in my garden. Planted in a client’s plot though, and it’s looking marvellous.
Greetings from the Pacific Northwest in Washington state, USA ~ I am happy to have found your blog…so much good information here. We have similar growing climates and I had to grin while reading this post because last year I grew quite a lot of ‘Freckles.’ It was very happy, produced heavily, and then promptly bolted during a warm spell. I forgot all about it this year but perhaps I’ll plant some in the fall when the weather cools.
Thanks for the memories!
Christi
Hi Sweetpea. Greatings form London! Your lovely comment brought back memories for me too as I spent a year living up the coast in Vancouver in my youth. Gardening wasn’t my priority in those days, but I do remember rainfall in BC equalling that in the UK that year! Think Frecles may have bolted in the UK too last year as we had a roasting spring, but this was followed on by a by limp summer, so it would also have benefitted from a later sowing as you’re now planning. Are you growing any other lettuces this year?
Thanks for dropping by and now off to reminisce about lazy days on the beach on the Canadian west coast!
Yes, indeedie! Trying for the first time a red endive (which is definitely DEEP dark, purple red…so gorgeous), French crisphead (oh how I love the leathery bits with pale innards!) and a new (to me) red leaf called “New Red Fire.” Can you tell I like adding color to my veg garden???
I’ve woken up to a day of bright sunshine. I am walking away from the computer at this very moment! Hope you’ve been enjoying a lovely weekend.
Hi Sweaatpea, Had a great weekend, now off to work in other people’s gardens. Your leaves sounds sumptuous and delicious. Hope you had a good weekend in the garden and a great way to introduce colour in the garden. V.best Naomi
Lovely lettuce!
My lettuce has died in the summer heat, but I have tomatoes and cucumbers growing well now.
Have a blessed day!
Lea
Lea’s Menagerie
Ah,Mississippi! Summer heat! Something that seems like a dim and distant memory here in the UK. Have loved all this rain as it means less watering, especially when the hose pip ban was running, but tomatoes are well behind in both growing, and fruiting seems hardly likely this year! Each climate has its own compensations I guess! Thanks for dropping by Lea.
Freckles is a favourite of mine too. I’ve been picking off a few plants now for a good 6 weeks or so and they’re still going strong. They seem to be loving the cooler, wetter summer.
Hi Wellywoman, seems like the perfect lettuce for our climate (well this year at least). Any other tasty lettuces growing?
I’ve got rubens, lobjoits, dazzle and a few others on the way.
I love Freckles lettuce! Yours is beautiful. So glad I discovered your delightful blog via Fennel & Fern. I’ve already sent some gardening pals over and am looking forward to reading more. 🙂
Hi Susan, Greetings from London! Like you I’ve often pondered the merits of escaping to the country (but not Missouri-makes me think of The Outlaw Josey Wales!), but have never had the guts to do it. Thanks for dropping by and look forward to hearing more about donkey, chickens, dogs, cats, the llama….and the odd vegetable. V.best Naomi
Hi Naomi – so many people have mentioned ‘Freckles’ as one of their favourites, it’s on my list for next year too 🙂
Thanks for the fab mention!
Hi Michelle, Just can’t praise it enough! Have only stopped eating it a couple of weeks ago-it lasted for months! Now letting the whole lot go to seed and will collect these for next year (first time I’ve done that with lettuces). Also sowing another batch in the next few days to see how it overwinters outside, along with Valdor, Marveille de Quatre Saisons and Cocarde.
[…] e.g. ‘Cos Freckles’ – read Naomi Shillinger’s wonderful blog on this – and ‘Nymans’, a beautiful red variety. The frilly lettuces seem to be less […]
Hi Naomi – just been recommended your blog by a friend. I’m involved with a community garden on the south coast. I just happen to be in charge of salad this year so I was really pleased to find a new and lovely lettuce to grow!
[…] Freckles (a fab lightish green Cos, spotted with reddy/brown markings, that gave me delicious salads all summer long last year. Originally from Sarah Raven, but grown this year from my own painstakingly collected seeds!) […]
[…] some of my summer lettuces are still going strong (Freckles and Maravilla de Verano de Canasta), others (Solix and Chatsworth) have started to bolt and […]
[…] upright leaves. (I do like a good crunch in my salads these days.) It also looks a lot like Freckles, another delightful Cos, but maybe a bit looser in shape. Seeds available from the ever entertaining Chiltern […]