Salad Days: My Simple 4-Step Salad Guide


In the early days of The 52 Week Salad Challenge, I asked the question What is a salad? I didn't have the definitive answer back then and I've since realised there isn't really one. The key question to ponder is What makes a great salad for me?

 One of the reasons I started the Challenge 3 years ago was to prove to NAH salads needn't be boring and I believe I've done that many times over. I've found it takes just four simple steps to ensure we have a great tasting salad every time. All ingredients are raw, unless stated otherwise.


 Step 1 - Make a large base layer of seasonal greens

 Choose from:
  • Lettuce
  • Rocket, especially wild
  • Watercress
  • Land cress (aka American cress)
  • Nasturtium leaves
  • Foraged greens e.g. hairy bittercress, fat hen, young dandelions
  • Winter purslane
  • Lamb's lettuce
  • Kale
  • Pea shoots
  • Oriental leaves e.g mustards, pak choi
  • Endive or chicory
  • Sorrel - small amounts give a deliciously lemony kick to a salad (thanks Janet for reminding me)

Step 2 - Add colour contrast(s)
  • Red lettuce e.g. Lollo Rosso, Relic, Red Salad Bowl
  • Radicchio
  • Beetroot - leaf and/or root, especially 'Bull's Blood' for leaves
  • Rainbow chard
  • Tomatoes - especially sweet cherry types such as Sungold or Gardener's Delight
  • Carrots - grated, cubed or sliced
  • Pumpkin or squash - cooked (I like them roasted), then sliced or cubed
  • Radishes
  • Peppers (not green - I especially like the elongated type for their flavour)
  • Fruit e.g. orange segments, pomegranate *
  • Edible flowers

Step 3 - Make it crunchy
  • Cucumber
  • Salad onions
  • Sprouted seeds and pulses
  • Sliced green beans (or whole French), shelled peas (or mangetout), or broad beans (all lightly cooked first)
  • Bulb fennel
  • Pulses cooked al dente e.g. chick peas, puy lentils
  • Toasted nuts & seeds e.g. sunflower, pumpkin, peanuts
  • Croutons (as suggested by Anna)
  • Sliced or grated fruit e.g. apple, pear *

Step 4 - Intensify the taste
  • Herbs - e.g. basil, chives, coriander, chervil, dill, mint
  • Microgreens
  • Capers
  • Oils, vinegars (as they are, or flavoured - like the above preparations for making raspberry vinegar) or a dressing
  • Dried fruit e.g raisins, apricots *
* = select just one of these, or not at all e.g. if orange segments are selected for colour contrast, don't use other fruit to add crunch or intensify the taste.


The amounts used gets progressively smaller - at least half of the salad is selected from step 1 and the smallest amount is added from the list in step 4. The amounts and numbers used in each step depends on what you like and have to hand that's in season. The final size of the salad is up to you, depending on your appetite.

Mix all the ingredients together to accompany a serving of cheese (e.g. feta crumbled through for a classic Greek salad) or an omelet, or grilled meat or fish. We only occasionally have a slice of quiche for a change as we're trying to avoid having too much pastry.

How do you make your ideal salad?

Comments

  1. Lea26 September 2014 at 11:09

    Great salad making guide!
    Have a wonderful day!
    Lea

    ReplyDelete
  2. Janet/Plantaliscious26 September 2014 at 16:03

    I've never really thought about my favorite salad constructions, but I appear to be following your recipe! Certainly never boring - assuming you don't have all your salad plants munched by molluscs leaving you leafless in the middle of summer! Sorrel was my big discovery this year, a small amount gives delicious oomph, but flowers? Nah, unless they are rocket or some other strong tasting type, I just don't like the texture in my mouth!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP26 September 2014 at 19:31

      Thanks Janet - I'd forgotten about the sorrel. I love it - especially the buckler leaf variety. It gives a deliciously lemony kick to a salad.

      Delete
  3. CJ27 September 2014 at 09:59

    Lovely ideas. I'm a big fan of sorrel, I'm eating it every day at the moment. I'm wishing I had some rocket too, that's another favourite. I've done a little better this year, but I've got a long way to go with salad provision. My late sown rocket that I was hoping would last into the winter bolted very quickly. I'm wondering if I should sow some now.

    ReplyDelete
  4. VP27 September 2014 at 10:13

    Hmm CJ, I'd say it's slightly on the late side for rocket as we're now past the equinox and the plants need good light as well as the late season's warmth we're currently enjoying to help them grow. If you can get hold of some rocket seedlings, these will be a better bet. I did that this time last year with some wild rocket and had a good crop to pick over sparingly over the whole winter. Those plants are still going strong a year later!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous29 September 2014 at 10:03

    A good reminder of all the ingredients that so often get missed. Personally I avoid stuff that slides off a fork too easily, so seeds don't really make it into my salads, not unless they're bound by mayo or something (like waldorf salad and walnuts). Same reason I grate, rather than cube usually, but yours is a great list to demonstrate that salads certainly aren't boring. The question is, Does NAH think you've proved the point?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP29 September 2014 at 10:44

      Thanks Helen, and yes he does! There are particularly strong murmurs of appreciation (murmurs because he has his mouth full at the time) particularly when I use fennel, basil and coriander. It shows that just small additions can make a great deal of difference.

      Delete
  6. colleen29 September 2014 at 11:18

    Brilliant! I especially like the advice on ratios (they're my kind of thing). And despite my initial scepticism I am a total convert to the fruit vinegar, not only for salads.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP29 September 2014 at 15:22

      Thanks Colleen :) Fruit vinegars were a revelation to me last year. I thought they'd never work.. and then... oh yes!

      Delete
  7. Anna30 September 2014 at 21:24

    Oh a most informative post VP with some excellent suggestions. Thank you :) The addition of a few croutons to some salads is another crunch ingredient that we like.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP4 October 2014 at 12:00

      That's a great idea, Anna - I'll add that to the list :)

      Delete

Post a Comment

I love hearing from you and welcome thoughtful conversations :)

Comments aiming to link back and give credence to commercial websites will be composted!

Your essential reads

That blue flower: A spring spotter's guide

Image
Spring is a prime time for blue flowers and my daily walks currently have several from the same plant family* lining the local footpaths. As I walked past the Donkey Field the other day, I overheard some children ask their parents** what the pictured blue flower was. It reminded me it's often mistaken for those other familial blues and this time was no different, as they said it was forget-me-not, instead of the green alkanet it actually is. As well as similar flowers, most of these plants are hairy in their nature, flower around the same time, and favour damp, shady places. Many of them are great for pollinators too, especially bees and this week's warm weather has certainly drawn them to these flowers. This makes it even more likely for these plants to be mistaken for each other and it's a great opportunity for me to put together a spotter's guide in case you find the same flowers on your outings. Staying with green alkanet, the key features which set it ...
Read more

Jack Go To Bed At Noon

Image
Last year this rather exotic looking flower appeared on mine and several other allotments for the first time. Having been stumped (again) by Mr Allotment Warden as to its identity, I rushed home to find out what it was. It's salsify, aka the marvellous Jack Go To Bed At Noon - named as such because its flowers always close by midday. Here you can see both open and closed flowers - making it seem even more exotic and alien than in the first picture. I think this must be the cultivated version because the flower in my Francis Rose Wild Flower Key looks exactly the same in form, but is bright yellow in colour and called meadow salsify . Its other common name is Goatsbeard, which must be a nod to the fantastic dandelion-like clock which forms the seed head. With 'parachutes' like those shown above, who knows how far our plotted plants came from. I rather like the photographic dissection of the seedhead found in this link . Salsify is edible: its lateral shoots and fl...
Read more

Red Nose Day - Gardening Jokes Anyone?

Image
The nation goes ever so slightly bonkers on Red Nose Day - hurrah! Previously, it's been very easy to join in - usually via a dress down day at work plus lots of people up to mad things at the station and in the office. Everyone smiling for once - it's a real feel good day and all in a good cause. This year's different - every day's a dress down day for me now - my friend L suggested yesterday that perhaps I could have a dress up day instead and whilst that's a good idea, I confess that ballgowns and tiaras don't really feature in my wardrobe: scruffy student's always been my favourite look. So my Red Nose Day contribution for this year is to compile a list of gardening related jokes. For each one (clean ones only please) you leave in the comments below, I'll make a donation of 50p to the cause. Here's a few for starters just to get you warmed up: Q Why do potatoes make good detectives? A Because they keep their eyes peeled. Q What did the grape...
Read more

Salad Days: Mastering Lettuce

Image
I've decided one of my salad challenges for this year is to grow as many lettuce varieties as I can, ready for the publication of my planned Factsheet* later on. The idea is to grow as many of the Tried and Trusted lettuce varieties last year's Salad Challengers helped compile, then provide a visual guide and as many lettuce facts as I can muster. So far I've found around half of those listed**. Then naturally whilst I was out searching - because such is the way with seeds - a number of other varieties found their way home too ;) A couple of weeks ago I sowed 22 varieties***. Just the simple act of sowing them has me intrigued. Why are some lettuce seeds black and others white****? They split into about half white to half black in my sample and as far as I can tell it's nothing to do with whether they're a type of cos, iceberg, or whatever. I sowed them indoors and popped them into a propagator on the windowsill. The soil's too cold outside for sowing ...
Read more

VPs VIPs: Derry Watkins of Special Plants

Image
Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Derry Watkins at her home, garden and nursery - the acclaimed Special Plants - just a few miles along the road from me. I first met Derry at one of her open garden days last year and was keen to find out more about her wonderful garden and running an independent nursery. She specialises in tender perennials and regularly goes on plant hunting trips to find new treasures, particularly in South Africa. As well as running Special Plants and opening her garden under the NGS scheme , Derry holds day courses at her nursery, hosts Special Tuesdays from April until September, lectures and has written a couple of books. How did you find your way from Connecticut to the UK? I'd started a biodynamic vegetable garden in Connecticut and we used to have people come along at weekends to help out. A particular young man turned up: he returned many times and at the end of the summer I married him. So it was all down to love? Isn't that the...
Read more

#mygardenrightnow: heading into summer with the Chelsea Fringe

Image
Ahhhhhh, that's better! I love walking through dewy grass in bare feet, not that there's much in the way of grass on my back lawn this weekend. My wild and woolly lawn has morphed into meadow of sorts this month, which even NAH admits looks attractive*. It's also proved a great source for my Flowers for mum project so far, yielding self-sown perennial cornflowers, lamb's ears, and lemon balm in addition to the blooms you can see. These originated from elsewhere in the garden, the ox-eye daisies must have blown in from the A350 nearby. * = he got very stroppy about the weeds aka self-sown foxgloves in the lawn one year, so he's come along a bit since then. Skimble's demanding to say hello to you too. He does enjoy the patio when it warms up. If the embedded video doesn't work try this link instead. The Nectaroscordum are a revelation. I planted the bulbs around 2 years ago, but it's only this year they've bloomed properly. The bee...
Read more

The Resilient Garden

Image
  Part of Tom Massey's Resilient Garden at RHS Hampton Court I've been pondering VP Gardens a lot lately. Last year's drought conditions set me off initially, then our harsher than usual winter combined with this summer's flip and flop weather means the thinking continues. It's a huge topic which I freely admit I'm struggling to get my head around. Tom Massey's Resilient Garden  at Hampton Court recently  tackled this topic brilliantly and was a timely interlude which gave me much food for thought. There he encapsulated the detailed research he'd found which informed both his show garden and book of the same name. I think it's one of the most important show gardens I've ever seen. It's clear the way I garden needs to change so that I have my own resilient garden. I haven't worked out the exact details yet, but Tom's book plus a couple of others (see below), alongside the rainwater management handout from the show garden's  sponso...
Read more

Chelsea Fringe 2014: Shows of Hands - Episode I

Image
The gloves NAH used to build the raised bed . The effects are L to R, top to bottom:  Original photo, Warhol, HDR, Green tint, B&W, Posterize, Boost, Cross process and Sepia Welcome to Shows of Hands - my Chelsea Fringe project for 2014! As you can see I've been having a bit of a play around in Pic Monkey for my first contribution. You're welcome to join in between now and 8th June 2014. The idea behind this year's project is to highlight the tool most precious to a gardener: their hands. How do I take part? It's simple. All you need to do is take a photo of hand(s) in a gardening context and then share it via your blog or other social media (such as Twitter or Facebook), then make sure I know you've done so. I've set up Mr Linky below for your blog contributions. The Chelsea Fringe photo on the right sidebar links to this post, so you can easily find it again when you're ready to add your contribution. If you share your photo on Twitter, ...
Read more

Make Use of Mildew

Image
On my garden patrol this morning I spotted some powdery mildew on a couple of my new Verbena bonariensis plants. I suppose it was almost inevitable as I prefer to grow my plants hard - this means no water for them unless they look absolutely desperate. This approach means plants root themselves more deeply and have a better chance of survival during spells of dry weather like we've had lately. However, it also means I run the risk of problems like today's, especially with any garden newbies planted late in the season. We've had a good drop of rain overnight, so this should help my plants survive. I'll mulch them later today to help lock in the moisture as it's water stress which encourages the mildew to take hold. I've also removed the infected leaves and sprayed the rest with a milky drink.* I'm also pleased to find there's a use for my infected leaves. Oliver Ellingham at Reading University has started a PhD - sponsored by the RHS - researchi...
Read more

Testing Times: Tomatoes

Image
  I've run a couple of tomato trials this year. The first is a revisit of the biochar trial with Oxford University I attempted some years ago (with a different organisation this time), and the second is a trial of a water gadget called Plantsurge which I was given to try at Malvern Spring Show earlier this year. Most of you have probably heard of biochar already and the claim that this inert, carbon-rich material can help soil fertility and plant health. The RHS information in the above link says results can be mixed, with reduced effects found in alkaline soils. This may help to explain the lack of difference I found in my previous trial as VP Gardens is on a lime-rich soil. Plantsurge is a different beast altogether. It's a strong magnet which is attached to a hosepipe as shown in the photo above. It's claimed that it softens water, with the result more like watering with rainwater. The higher nitrogen found in rainwater is thought to be beneficial to plants. Gardener...
Read more