Salads go with everything and can even stand alone. Take your salad game to a new level by getting creative with delicious add-ins you can find at the Market.
- Start with the greens. Butter lettuces, romaine, arugula, kale, collards, spinach – can all make a great salad base individually or in combinations. Try some herbs and/or microgreens for added flavor and nutrition.
- Right now you’ll find snap peas, radishes, and salad turnips to add crunch to your summer salads. (The snap peas won’t be around much longer though.)
- For something different, shave kohlrabi in thin slices and either add to greens or dress them alone adding some seeds or nuts for crunch.
- Sliced fennel is another unique vegetable for salads. It adds a faint flavor of anise and can be used raw or braised.
- Alliums will add some bite. Green onions are plentiful at the Market. Garlic scapes should be coming soon too. Keep an eye out for red onions later on.
- Consider mushrooms in your salad. They can be sliced and added raw (think shiitakes) or sautéed until slightly crispy and flavorful (oyster, bella, & others).
- Strawberries are available right now and can be a great sweet addition to a spinach and arugula salad if you add a little salty crumbly cheese like a feta.
- Roasted beets are another way to add terrific flavor to salads and their sweetness goes well with cheeses too.
- I saw the first cherry tomatoes last Saturday. Once tomatoes become available, they’ll be around for a while and they are always delicious in a salad. Cucumbers are already available. Along with red onion, feta, and oregano, you get a classic Greek salad.
- Think protein for a stand-alone salad. Hard-cooked eggs, bacon crumbles, diced ham, or strips of chicken make a salad into a complete meal.
- Speaking of protein, some simple dressed greens also make a great bed for a grilled steak, chicken breast, pork chop, or salmon filet.
- Grab some good bread at one of our bakery vendors and serve alongside your salad or make homemade croutons.
- And don’t forget the oil & vinegar and the seasonings. See Artisano’s Oils & Spices and Circle City Smoke for high quality tasty ingredients to create a dressing worthy of your fresh local salad starting with a recipe for Basic Vinaigrette Dressing.
Later on in the summer we’ll also have corn, green beans, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, and eggplant that can be used raw, blanched, or sautéed to make fabulous summer salads. The possibilities are endless!
