Somewhat absent-mindedly I decided to toss some dill from our CSA into my salad dressing.  In a rush I used a hand blender to whip the dressing up whereas normally I just use a fork and stir.  The blender helped make the dressing super creamy and the results were awesome.  The dill added such a different flavor the dressing, at least compared to what I’m used to in dressings, and I loved it!

At our beach picnic we enjoyed egg salad wraps and the salad was an perfect addition (or at least I thought it was!).  Sorry, no pics were taken, we just enjoyed the beautiful day, the warm water, the soft (and super-hot) sand, throwing a Frisbee, and time to relax.

Thus for today’s installation of Greens Week I’m featuring the dressing recipe since it was key in making the afternoon’s salad so tasty.  And keep in mind that you can omit the mayo but it’s nice to use a small amount because it helps to emulsify (hold together the oil and vinegar) the dressing.

Our lettuce crop has been especially successful this year and luckily for me there’s no such thing as “too much lettuce.”  Here are some reasons why I love lettuce and want to grow tons of it:

1)    Salad season doesn’t last all year and it’s important to stock up while supplies are good.

2)    One season madame was pregnant—okay, actually more than one season—and she had an aversion to greens which meant we didn’t eat salads and while I was supportive I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad, knowing what I was missing out on.

3)    It’s really healthy to eat green vegetables and it’s also healthy to eat vegetables straight from the garden that still have bits of soil on them.  This is because living in the soil are wonderful local beneficial microbes that can help inhabit your internal microbiome, giving you many benefits!  This is why I only barely wash my homegrown vegetables and those from my CSA. (For more on this go read Farmacology (available in Canada too) at your local library!).

4)    Salad is delicious and full of endless possibilities and potential combinations.

5)    Having salad as part of a meal makes the meal look more pretty.

6)    Lettuce is a great addition to a amazing local sandwich (on homemade sourdough).

7)    Lettuce is easy to grow and the seeds can be saved and planted again.

Lately I’ve had two goals related to lettuce: one is to eat tons of it and the other is to use it in salads that are unique.  So here are few ideas to help make salads more unique, which in turn helps to achieve goal number one which is to eat tons of it (because it’s harder to get tired of eating different things!)

1)  Make croutons from stale bread.

• Simply fry pieces of bread in butter or bacon grease until they are turning golden and getting crunchy.  They will be more crunchy after they cool.

• Use different types of bread to provide variation from salad to salad.

• Add different flavors to the croutons, like garlic, herbs, or even balsamic vinegar.

2)    Use combinations of raw and fresh vegetables.

• Roasted sweet potato is an awesome addition.
• Butter or bacon-fried radishes are great, and the frying softens their sometimes harsh flavor.

• Kale can be lightly steamed if it’s gotten too thick and you don’t want to “massage” it.

3)    Make a different salad dressing every time by playing around with different ratios and ingredients.

• We usually start with a base of ¼ cup oil and 3 tablespoons of vinegar, then start adding whatever sounds good!
• For a more bitter salad you can balance things out by adding some honey or maple syrup to the dressing.

4)    Don’t forget fruit!

• Strawberries go nice with onions.
• Apples and pears like stinky cheeses.
• Watermelon and basil go together!

5)    Nuts add great texture and flavor.

• Try lightly toasting them in the oven or in a pan, but don’t leave them alone, they burn quickly.
• Toss them in a pan with a bit of honey and butter for some caramelized nuts!  This is a nice addition when you have bitter vegetables to balance.

6)    Cheese is the ultimate ingredient to make a salad unique because there are so many kinds of cheese!

• Play around with different combinations until you find your favorites.
• Our family favorite is goat cheese because it tastes wonderful and adds a nice creaminess to the salad.

So, there are a bunch of ways to make salads unique, but I’m sure there are many more.  What do you put in your salads to make them awesome and unique?

Linking at Nomday Monday.

While we were visiting my assistants’ Granny and Boppa we found this spider lurking between the leaves of a lettuce plant in their huge garden.  In the video my young assistant is more interested in finding out more about the deer that had been visiting the garden the night before….

As best as I can tell, the spider in question here is a Nursery Web Spider, or Pisaurina mira.  Often mistaken for Wolf Spiders they are no threat to humans, rather they are helpful in the garden as they help eat insects (surpirse!).

“Their bite can not kill anything bigger than a small fish.” – From Animal Diversity Web.

Well, hopefully they’re right with that information.  What kinds of interesting insects do you find in your garden?  I often feel like North America isn’t that exotic but then I’m surprised and amazed at some of the things that I learn about that I didn’t know before!

If you haven’t yet, check out this week’s menu plan and let me know what you’re excited about eating this week.   My favorite meal last week was the meal of Veggie Burgers on Spelt English Muffins!

Linking up at Tuesday Garden Party.