Saturday, December 10, 2011

Winter salads

I detest iceberg lettuce in a salad. Why bother with it? No flavor and no nutrients.

Jeremy and I eat a lot of salad. I've found lettuce to be one of the easiest things to grow in my backyard. I grow black seeded simpson and a mesclun mix. And if we don't get enough out of my backyard, organic field greens and assorted salad toppings are always on my grocery list.

I love winter salads--or, I suppose I should say late fall/early spring salads. There IS, afterall, about a two month stretch here that you can't even coax some some radishes. But, I felt like I was taunting Old Man Winter yesterday when I was picking carrots, radishes and lettuce from my cold frames. We have had a warm and wet fall. This time last year, the temps were solidly in the 20s and 30s. Last weekend, I think it was 70 and sunny.

I always make salads this time of year with lettuce and cool weather crops from my backyard. Add some toasted pumpkin seeds and some local goat cheese, and you've got a perfect lunch. I like some simple balsamic vinegar and olive oil for dressing. And I love to add a few drops of toasted seasame oil to it. If I have them, I'll chop up an apple to mix in as well. But I didn't today. So nice and crisp and refreshing, especially when the weather outside is chilly and dreary.


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