Now is the time to enjoy baby greens and the freshest fruits of summer! You can easily turn fruits and vegetables into beautiful seasonal salads from the garden by adding crumbled cheeses, toasted nuts and a light drizzle of my go-to basic vinaigrette. Salads are boring? Nah! Let me show you!
Eat your greens!
Without a doubt, my favorite way to get my daily dose of veggies is in a fresh salad. It’s full of textures and flavors, and in my opinion, SO delicious. Salads made from the garden are hearty on their own, and interestingly enough, you don’t need that much vinaigrette to make it taste gourmet.
Today I’m going to show you my favorite basic salad combinations, the best varieties of salad greens to grow at home, how to process salad greens and share my basic vinaigrette recipe! Let’sss go!
How to make a perfect salad
One of my favorite things about creating salads is how incredibly easy it is. The basic recipe comes together in under 10 minutes. No need to heat up the house by running the oven or exhaust yourself by making a million dirty dishes! PRESS THIS EASY BUTTON and you will never go back. These quick meals will have your family devouring fresh fruits and vegetables in no time!
Simple salad combinations
Salad aren’t just a side to be tolerated, they can stand alone as the main dish! Here my favorite combos to keep fresh greens exciting:
- Toss baby spinach with sliced strawberries, then top with crumbled feta cheese, candied pecans, and a poppyseed vinaigrette.
- Baby kale paired with crispy peppered bacon, sliced red onion, shaved parmesan, and drizzled with a flavorful Balsamic Vinaigrette.
- No lettuce? no problem! Arrange cucumber slices, halved cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, and feta cheese. Gently toss it all together with a greek dressing and fresh chopped oregano.
- Mixed greens with grilled peach slices, slivered almonds, goat cheese and a drizzle of Lemon & Dijon salad dressing.
- Serve it warm! Sauté root vegetables such as sweet potatoes and golden beets in olive oil with a sliced onion. Serve over arugula with a light honey-dijon drizzle.
- Lightly toss torn kale in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread in on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about ten minutes at 400 degrees until crispy. Serve with a poppyseed dressing and warm focaccia bread.
How to harvest lettuce
I harvest fresh greens by snipping the leaves near the base. The cool thing about lettuce is that it is a cut-and-come-again plant, meaning it can be harvested at least twice, sometimes three times! Greens tend to thrive in the cooler months and languish under the hot summer sun. I recommend window sill gardens indoors during the hot months, and starting seeds indoors to transplant out during the early spring and fall.
Best varieties of lettuce to grow
My favorite varieties of salad greens are Arugula, Spinach, Strawberry Spinach, Endive, Scarlet Kale, Blue Scotch Kale, Buttercrunch and Rocky Mountain Salad mix. Harvested greens can last up to two weeks in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator if processed properly. In garden zone 6B, salads grow best if started indoors in February, transplanted out mid March (with frost covers) or direct sown in late April. When summer heats up, lettuce struggles to thrive. I also direct sow a fall crop begining in late August to harvest before the first frost.
How to store lettuce
What storing lettuce looks like in my kitchen is first soaking the greens in cold water to remove any garden debris. I then strain the leaves and use a salad spinner to remove any excess water. Next, I place the clean and dry leaves into twist-tie gallon bags with a paper towel. The paper towel absorbs any moisture and keeps it from turning the leaves brown. The greens typically last for at least a week, sometimes longer!
Lemon-Dijon Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 4 tablespoon lemon juice fresh-squeezed
- 4 tablespoon orange juice fresh-squeezed
- 2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- himalayan salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a mason jar with lid. Whisk or shake until well mixed. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for several weeks.
Poppyseed Dressing
Ingredients
- ⅓ c olive oil extra virgin
- ¼ c apple cider vinegar
- ¼ c sugar
- 1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
- ½ tsp. stone ground mustard
- ½ Tbsp. mayonnaise
- himalayan salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a mason jar with lid. Shake until well combined. Serve immediately or refrigerate for several weeks. This recipe can be used as a salad dressing, chicken marinade, or as a pasta salad dressing.
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- ¾ tbsp. dijon mustard
- ¼ C balsamic vinegar
- ¾ C olive oil extra virgin
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon Italian herbs dried or fresh
- himalayan salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a mason jar. Shake to combine. Serve immediately over salad greens, or use as a marinade for red meats. I recommend adding a tablespoon of tomato paste if using as a marinade. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for several weeks.
What to serve with a seasonal salad from the garden?
These simple salads are a complete light meal on their own, but sometimes adding a little meat or bread can really round it out! I share a no-knead sourdough bread recipe in my free E-book as well as a perfect steak recipe for summer grilling. One of my personal favorite things to serve with a salad is a thin slice of warm focaccia, if you feel inspired to try making it in your kitchen (believe me, you CAN!) the recipe can be found in my post Simple Sourdough Focaccia. One last thing, never underestimate the deliciousness of a tasty focaccia "bun" for a melted ham and cheese sandwich to go with a seasonal salad. They are always besties.
Alright, friends. Cannot wait to hear what you think of my simple seasonal salads from the garden! 😉
Leave a Reply