There’s been a stretch of hot here in Southwest Virginia and it’s spelling the end of what has been a wonderful few months of salad eating.
We had red leaf lettuce from our cold frame in the chill of March and since late April we’ve been eating from a beautiful bed of mixed lettuces and endive, arugula and mustard. There’s been dill in the herb garden and parsley and chives. And snow peas climbing the fence. All of it together has made for many palate-pleasing salads, just pass the toasted pecans and raspberries, and, yes, the merest drizzle of that divine poppy seed dressing.
The only thing that keeps me from boo-hooing about my bolting greens is the knowledge that we are still early in the growing season. Yes, my frisée has frizzled but baby zucchini are peeking from their mounds, tiny hard tomatoes are popping up on the vines and the green bean plants are spreading way past their corner of the garden.
Good eating will go on. And my recipes for homemade Buttermilk Ranch and Honey Mustard and Poppy Seed dressings, the ones I have sampled and fine-tuned these many weeks, they will not be going to waste. They’ll be accompanying my ripe tomato slices and brightening my cucumbers and adding tang to my veggie pasta salads.
I’m figuring you’ll be wanting to make your own top summer salad toppings as well. So I’m sharing my favorite dressing recipes with you. Try them, tinker with them, let me know what you make and how you like it.
