Monday, May 6, 2013

Rain, rain...go AWAY !!

I know I'll be singing a different tune soon. I'm trying to be patient. But it's now Monday and has rained here nonstop since THURSDAY.  Enough already!


  I wanted to post today about some of the beautiful salads we've been eating since spring [sort of] arrived.  Even though we have nothing in the garden yet, there has been plenty of wild  stuff everywhere.



 (Now, I know I have a photo of a wild greens salad somewhere...not finding it right now).  Here's one coupled with an omelet. One of my favorite meals.  This one had a little arugula and another lettuce in it too, but basically they consist of what I can find. lol 

 Chickweed, dandelion greens and flowers, violet leaves and flowers. kale (if I happen to find some popping up from last year), wood sorrel, yarrow--if the leaves are young enough to not be too bitter.  I usually have a patch of Egyptian walking onions to cut some tops, or even pull a whole onion (a young one) that has found it's way out of the onion patch. lol



 And then there's this beauty...I posted this recipe on here. Minty peach and watermelon salad. OMGoodness !  If you make this when the peaches just come off the tree and the watermelon is cold, you'll never be sorry. It is magic in your mouth.




Here's a fresh picked batch of organic lettuce just in from the garden (last year) . We finally found 2 lettuces that will produce all summer without bolting, and are sturdy and  they kept us in fresh greens from late April (last year) til October. 



 Salads teamed up with rice and beans, and cheeses and olives and salsa make a great supper. Veggie Taco Salad--all made with ingredients (except the olives)  from right here on Honeysuckle Hill.




Then of course there's the pantry salad. Or, the Lunch Salad Extraordinaire, as we like to call it. This salad has the base salad, and then is topped like a Cobb salad. In this one I used tuna salad, hard boiled eggs, sliced radishes, Cannelini beans, pickled beets, pickled okra, and some sliced carrots and onions.  It's a powerhouse of nutrition, packed with protein and you do NOT go away from the table hungry. The pickled items, courtesy of MOI, thank you very much--add just the right touch.


And finally --this.  Not a salad, but an Asian slaw. Made with Savoy cabbage (because I love the texture) Daikon radish, carrot, onion and ginger. Dressed ion a lovely rice vinegar and sesame oil dressing. With some spices. Oh man. I have spring fever.

 I want to eat salads and slaws and fresh fruits and veggies.  We went to diner the other night and I devoured more than my share of a Caesar salad platter we ordered. 

  It's time.  Winter--Be Gone !   Spring--Come ON !!!!  

   ***Once again, I have forgotten to mention that this is a Harvest Monday--jet on over to Daphne's Dandelions  and check out the goings on !!!!***

Bon Apetit!



10 comments:

  1. I am so with you on that one. I want spring to be here (really here) so badly I can hardly stand it. Yes, I have been buying my salad fixings (don't tell anyone) because nothing but nasturtium leaves are coming out of the garden with this unseasonably cold weather. We broke another record low (for Mobile, Alabama!) last night. This might would count as spring in Iowa, but for Mobile it is dang cold.

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    1. Hi Cristy~~ It has been crazy! We've had 80 one day and then 40 the next.

      I've had to buy some too, through the winter. I live in the St Louis (general) area. Across the river. A rule of thumb around these parts used to be don't make plans for planting anything until at least after Mothers day...it warms up much sooner now...
      Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. I wish you could send a little of that rain my way, we've had about half the normal amount here... just a little, not too much! Your wild greens salad sounds very interesting, I wouldn't have thought half those greens were edible, much less tasty. A very nice lineup of salads and very inspiring.

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    1. Thank you Michelle, and thanks for dropping by. There's lots of things we could be eating that we have no clue about. I have a son and husband who are both avid foragers, so I get to learn new stuff all the time.

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  3. It all looks delicious Annie! Beautiful sunny day today at 76 degrees.

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    1. Sun didn't come out here until late, but at least the rain stopped and it got warm.

      I'll take it!

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  4. Annie, those salads look so good -- here we are in autumn and I use baby pak choi leaves, pine nuts, new celery heart leaves and early winter endives in salads.

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    1. That sounds really good. I love combinations of things like that...but pine nuts here are like 26 dollars a pound, so I rarely buy them. I do use a lot of raw sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sliced almonds and pecans in my salads though.

      Hope you're feeling better love...

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