Can a salad really inspire a garden?
My garden is proof positive it can!
The story behind my almost daily salad:
I had my first memorable salad in the mid 80's at a "health food" (that is what they were truly called in the 70's and 80's) restaurant in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Poor Richards, located in downtown Colorado Springs, was at that time a bookstore and restaurant; today it houses 6 different businesses. On its menu was a Greek Salad - I remember Romaine lettuce, red onion, pepperoncini, Greek olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, big chunks of feta cheese, and a Greek dressing. Truly a salad to die for! I was hooked, but it would still be a few years before I would make such a salad combination an almost daily part of my life.
If you were to ask my former co-workers in the Midwest what they remember about me, it might be the quality of my work, but more likely they would remember the salad I would bring on most days for lunch and my baked goods. If you were to ask my current co-workers in ABQ, they would certainly mention my salad, as many, if not all, at some point partake of it - some almost daily.
What goes into the salad? Organic baby greens (what I call "Alley Weeds" because they look like what used to grow in the alleys of the Midwestern city I lived in), red onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, carrots, olives, small sweet peppers, pepperoncini, feta cheese, and marinated artichoke hearts. The dressing is a simple splash each of virgin olive oil and champagne vinegar, with grindings of sea salt and pepper.
(See below for an alternate dressing that I use at home).
Initially, only my co-worker "D" wanted some. But last fall once the cherry tomato crop finally took off (last summer was too hot early on and the tomatoes did not set until late), many others wanted to partake, in particular Felix. The salad quickly became a communal salad shared by many, and Felix has inspired the addition of some new ingredients - the artichoke hearts, sweet peppers, and pepperoncini. It is a first come/first served experience, with occasional disappointments if one arrives too late to the table. The evolution of my almost daily salad over many years has been fun to watch, especially since it has become more communal. My hope is that I will be able to grow most of the components this year.
At home, my dressing consists of one clove of garlic, coarse sea salt ( I use Celtic Sea Salt), ground black pepper, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil. The amounts of each ingredient will vary depending upon your taste and the amount you wish to make, but the general rule is 2 to 1 olive oil to lemon juice. I take the garlic, pepper, and coarse salt and mash them together in my favorite kitchen memento from my mother, from whom my love of cooking and sharing comes - a brass mortar and pestle she received as a gift from a gentleman who lived in the Middle East. Once the garlic is pulverized, add the lemon juice and olive oil, pour over the salad, and toss. If you don't have a mortar and pestle just chop the garlic finely and continue. Enjoy!
This post was suggested by Felix
