Greens Harvested from my Garden
Maple Avenue Market offered mixed greens plants for sale a few weeks ago. So my planters are now my go-to place for making a fresh salad. Chives and a red veined salad green (I forget what the name is, if you recognize it, please let me know and I will revise this post) reappeared in my organic garden plot after the long, hard winter. I also have herbs growing in small pots on my kitchen window sill. So, without running to the grocery store, we harvested many of the ingredients for this wonderful salad and dressing!
Garden Harvested Mixed Greens Salad with
Buttermilk Salad Dressing
Serves 4
1 cup Buttermilk (or Kefir)
1 teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh minced chives
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Fresh Chives on the Chopping Block
Mix above ingredients in a salad dressing jar. Dress mixed greens salad and serve. Recipe can be doubled to serve a larger crowd.
This is similar to a ranch dressing. I think your family will love it. We snipped all of the salad greens and herbs out of our own garden, which gives a very satisfying result.
The chopping block I use for mincing herbs is very good at keeping the small bits together, because it is hollowed out in the middle, so it serves as a shallow bowl.
We usually add grapes, apple or orange cubes to the salad. Yum!
Buttermilk Salad Dressing
Kitchen stores like Sur la Table sell salad dressing vessels with built in stirring mechanisms. With all the chunky ingredients in this recipe, it is good to re-stir each time before you go to pour. These vessels also seal for storage in the refrige. This dressing will keep for a good number of days, since all the ingredients are so fresh!
Kimberly Hartke is a homemaker who loves farmers markets and home gardening. Follow her culinary adventures on Hartkeisonline.com, a blog about real foods.
If you are looking to get inspired, learn new recipes and cooking techniques, I highly recommend Jenny McGruther’s Online Cooking Class. This blog is an affiliate of the course and will receive compensation if you sign up.
5 Comments
Hi,
The red veined green is a sorrel. I have some growing in front of my house right now. You’ve given me inspiration to start adding it to my salads. Don’t you just love the Maple Ave market – absolutely one of my favorite places!
I have more greens growing in my container garden than anything else. And I confess, we don’t eat a lot of salad, most of it goes to feed the cavies. But when we do have salad, there’s nothing better than homegrown!
.-= Local Nourishment´s last blog ..Monday Morning Rethink: Seeking Change =-.
Heres another family salad dressing for early spring greens, using dairy. Equal parts vinegar, sugar, and cream. mix and toss. I am sure you could reduce the sugar, buf don’t you love that cream! Janice
Great recipe, Kimberly.I love the flavor combination.
I used to like ranch dressings before I gave up processed salad dressings. Your recipe is better than any of them. And healthy!
.-= Stanley Fishman´s last blog ..Organ Sausages Make Innards Delicious =-.
Is it really 1 tablespoon garlic AND 2 garlic cloves chopped fine? I can’t wait to try this…I’m looking forward to getting away from store bought dressings! Thank you!