The year of the salad
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Vegetables | 13 comments
Spicy salad leaves and a poppy
When I was growing up salad was just a few basic ingredients arranged on a plate. It was the same for Danny.
“Sliced cucumber, a quartered tomato and some lettuce leaves.”
“Was the lettuce that soft floppy kind?”
“Yes, the stuff that bruised easily. And I always seemed to get the bruised leaves”
“Did you have celery?”
“My mum used to make an apple, walnut and celery salad. A triumph compared to the rest.”
Over the past 40 years salad in the UK has evolved massively into something that can be surprising, delicious and satisfying. I’m determined to create some exceptional salads this year. I have tried simple stuff – such as tomatoes and thinly sliced onion. Danny was unmoved and didn’t want an encore. Now I’m actively researching salad – different leaves, combinations and seasonal varieties.
At Celia’s recently, her friend Jackie brought a salad that was exceptional. The capacious plate was scraped clean.
“I just added all my favourite things.” Jackie was modest.
There were French beans, asparagus, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, herbs and so much more.
Last week I cut some baby leaves from the tunnel. Spicy salad leaves (Mr Fothergill’s ready in 3-4 weeks and at least 3 cut and come again lavishness). Danny loved them – they were ultra fresh. That’s the secret. These could have been grown in a pot or a windowbox.
Having tasted these leaves, Danny’s salad loving antenna clicked into life.
“I’m growing a lot of leaves in the shady border. Do you think it would be worth finding out what else we could sow?”
“I never thought that I’d say this but I’d like to eat a side salad every day. If it was really tasty.”
So these past few days I’ve been propped on the sofa reading my two salad books. Both bought a few years ago on a healthy living whim – flicked through and left for later reference. Now I have both the time and D’s encouragement to fire me forward.
The Organic Salad Garden
Seasonal is the key word here. Not having studied salad growing in any depth before, I had no idea that there are some leaves that can withstand low winter temperatures and there are others that prefer summer heat and sun. So rather than chomping through the same selection of leaves all year the salads change with the seasons.
Over the last few days I’ve discovered why my early sowings of pak choi just reached a midget height before bolting and my red perilla didn’t germinate (both sowed too early in the year). But better than that I found new salad leaves that I’d not heard about – with clear descriptions of the taste, uses and ideal conditions for each plant. In fact I’ve been astonished that there is so much to learn about the simple salad leaf.
Incidentally there are a handful of commercial salad leaf growers that have given Charles Dowding’s Salad Leaves for All Seasons: Organic Growing from Pot to Plot
Although I like Joy Larkcom’s book I’m slightly more drawn to Charles Dowdings’s tome. Danny got very excited when he discovered a section of harvesting notes – running from April to December. 71.2 kilograms of leaves were harvested from two 2.4 x 1.2 beds. That’s the equivalent of 475 x 150g bags of leaves. Some leaves such as lambs lettuce can be harvested right through the winter. There are detailed monthly planting and care notes. As with most vegetables that are harvested during the winter months, most have to be sown in August or September as growth slows with the shortening days and lower temperatures.
Every new growing adventure requires funds. If I want to try growing lots of new plants I have to invest in seeds. As you know this can be expensive. However I was saved by Sarah . She recently left a comment about collard seeds being available from the MoreVeg online seed shop. This is a super site that I’d not heard about before. Seeds are sold in smaller amounts than normal so most packs of seed are just 50p. Yesterday I ordered a lot of different varieties of leaves for salads and stir fries – and I didn’t have to spend loads of dosh.
Both books also include many tempting salad recipes. And of course Jane Grigson’s Vegetable Book
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My salad leaves have been disappointing this year – all I’ve managed to grow has been land cress and rocket. All the other salad veg has stalled at a couple of inches tall. The Dowding book sounds useful if it helps me grow more salad.
Hi Fiona.
I make a sowing of mizuna and radiccio come late summer. I’ve found that both of these are more than happy well into winter. Only the snow has killed them off.
In a polytunnel I reckon they’d last even longer.
Toasted sunflower seeds, shredded chive flowers, freshly chopped herbs, sliced grapes (add a lovely sweetness),grated carrot,soft avocado and warm quorn chunks (lightly fried in a little olive oil in a pan) added to the leaves is how I like my salad. A feast for the eye as well as the tum.
Now the garden has had a welcome splash of rain (after 3 months drought) I’m enthused about salads again. Like Terry I enjoy picking what I find in the garden…
today for lunch with a scrambled egg and a crumble of Cornish Quartz cheddar, I had: chive flowers/rocket seedlings/coriander/radish dressed with a little mayonnaise.
It seems we’ve come full circle – in 1699 Jon Evelyn wrote his Treatise on Salads:
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/15517/15517-h/15517-h.htm#page58
I love the recommended mix of leaves for the different seasons, and the inclusion of flowers, buds and shoots.
I like the sound of Charles Dowding™s book – might have to put that on my wish list 😉
Celia
x
Whatever happened to Webbs Wonder lettuce?
I haven’t seen one for years.
My favorite way to make leafy salad is to harvest fresh leaves (I like growing clip and come again lettuces) and then on the way inside snip a bit of whatever fresh herbs are looking perfect. Right now I have some mint, chives, basil and young oregano. Wash them all, coarsely chop the herbs and toss in with the lettuces. Dress with a simple olive oil and vinegar (add mustard and honey if you want.) Done! Different every time!
One of the simple additions to salad that we discovered last year was baby cauliflower. Just a few small florets mixed in gave a delicious crunchy sweetness. I guess it’s all about changing the thought process when it comes to planning a salad.
Cathy – Fiona and I had a chat about dressings this morning and she intends to post an article dedicated to just that. Hopefully we will garner a wide range of options from all of you and new ideas to try. Variety is the most important element I think when trying to make salads a prospect to look forward to rather than a dull option.
I have used them this year too and it is certainly a good way of trying out different types of veg. I am trying a butternut squash, vegetable spaghetti and I forget what the other ones were but just two of each seed in a pack which is enough to try them out. The downside is that we tried other seeds and really we needed more of the standards, but we will be prepared next time.
How do you like to dress your salads?
I am glad you found that link useful 🙂 The smaller sized packs at a reasonable price was what drew me to use them and it makes them a good choice for trying new things. We will be getting some collard seed from them ourselves for Autumn sowing. I would love to hear which seeds you got and look forward to seeing how you got on with them.