Salad Days

August means tomatoes of course, but  its also a good time for summer lettuce.  I start planting lettuce in the early spring and keep seeding different varieties all through the summer up until mid August. Most varieties I plant are leaf lettuces as apposed to head lettuces, so they are also cut-and-come again. That means I carefully cut the lettuce for a first harvest and within two weeks or so it grows back. The extreme heat this summer slowed down the lettuce and I tried to give it some shade by planting it on the north side of my four by eight foot beds. I've managed to keep it going just, but the harvest has been skimpy.

My favorite place to buy lettuce seed is The Cooks Garden. Unfortunately I can only buy through their catalog or online.  The Cooks Garden  was one of those small seed companies that developed a loyal following and then was bought out by Burpee. They offer a variety of mixes of lettuce seeds in one packet including spring mix, summer mix and fall/winter mix.  They work really well and are very good cut-and-come-again producers. Single varieties I've found that work well in the summer heat are Red Romaine (cos) and Black Seeded Simpson.  I also like Buttercrunch  and Red Oakleaf . The romaines have the same nutritional value as spinach so I like to plant them to have on hand at all times. Last year I cut the last of my romaine lettuce in early November. I was trying to keep it going until Thanksgiving but the weather was just too cold.

My favorite salad in August is a simple one of fresh picked lettuces, quartered tomatoes, shaved Parmesan cheese, walnuts and my home made Maple Vinaigrette Salad Dressing. This is a simple, fresh tasting dressing that doesn't weigh you down with a lot of garlic.

Maple Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon real maple syrup

pinch of salt

pinch of black pepper

3 tablespoons Canola oil

In a jar with a tight fitting lid combine the vinegar with the salt and pepper and shake to melt the salt. Add the maple syrup and shake well. Add the oil and shake until well combined and emulsified. Pour over salad composed of lettuce, tomato, walnuts and cheese. Toss lightly and enjoy. Some folks add a little dry mustard to the mix but I like this simple version for its light, fresh, slightly sweet taste. That little bit of sugar from the maple syrup really compliments the tomatoes.