An update on my organic, home grown salads

Hi everyone

I recently shared how I planted up some new planters with the intention of having abundant summer salad greens.

This is what they looked like when they were planted up in early May. I am so pleased with my new elho planters with their clear lids to keep the green bug free ....

They are now so lush, green & healthy in less than a month

Their abundant leaves touching the top of the lids & peeking out the sides when I open to pick leaves.

We are picking a large bowl each day to enjoy the crisp, fresh leaves. I am so thankful that I have my trusty salad spinner still handy .... no more commercially grown, chlorine washed greens that wilt quickly after opening the bags!

Yesterday we had rain lashing us as I was tutoring - I hate arriving like a drowned rat to drip on immaculate student homes, but the gardens need it as well as the warmth we have had.

I have been so impressed with the growth of the tiny, spindly radish seedlings that I planted; I was quite excited to see the pink bulb peeking through the soil. Yay - I love the crispness of radish. 

However, I did not want to waste the gorgeous, vivid green leaves - seen in the middle of the planters with their larger leaves.

My first radish ...

The young radish leaves are perfectly good as salad greens because they are filled with nutrients & goodness 

The herb troughs are filled with aromatic herbs as well as some rocket leaves, chives, mints, edible nasturtium leaves & later flowers, parsley & more - a delight to select for salads ...

I looked up some recipes that use radishes or the leaves ... This sounds amazing ... 

Radish, carrot & spring onion salad with orange-soaked raisins (V)

The most colourful and cheerful-looking of salads, this is delicious with a couple of thick slices of good ham. Serves four as a side dish.

50g raisins
50ml orange juice
A bunch of radishes – about 200g
About 150g small carrots
1 bunch spring onions
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cider vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the raisins and orange juice in a small pan, bring just to a simmer, take off the heat and leave to cool.

Once the raisins are cold, you can make the salad. Wash and trim the radishes and slice them into thin discs. Peel the carrots and cut them into similar-sized, thin slices – you may need to halve or even quarter the carrots lengthways first, to be able to cut them to the right shape and size. Thinly slice the spring onions. Combine all the vegetables in a bowl.

Drain the raisins, reserving the orange juice. Mix the raisins into the bowl of veg. Combine the orange juice with the olive oil, vinegar and some salt and pepper, and mix well. Stir the dressing into the bowl of sliced veg and serve.

and this will definitely be tried too - 

Much as I respect that view, if I have a bumper crop of anything, I always enjoy tinkering and experimenting with it, and radishes are no exception. I've had great success using these red roots in salads and slaws, and chucking their leaves into soups and wilting them for pasta dishes. I also love a radish raita with a curry (the roots thinly sliced and folded into a mixture of plain yoghurt and soft goat's cheese, and spiked with a little fresh mint) and on occasion have even been known to cook them (see the simple glazed radish recipe below).

and a recipe for a sweet dish of radish 

Glazed radishes (V)

A nice way to treat radishes that are not quite as super-fresh as you'd like them to be. It makes a great side dish for a roast. Serves three to four.

25g butter
250g radishes, trimmed and washed
1 tsp caster sugar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
About 150ml stock
Chopped parsley, to serve

Melt the butter over a medium heat in a deep frying pan or a saucepan large enough to take the radishes in a single layer. Add the radishes, sugar, a good pinch of salt and enough stock to come halfway up the radishes. Bring to a simmer and cook gently, uncovered, giving the pan a shake or a stir every now and then, until the radishes are just tender but still with some resistance to the bite – around 15 minutes. Remove the radishes with a slotted spoon, transfer to a warmed dish and keep warm.

Raise the heat under the pan and rapidly boil the remaining liquid until reduced to a thick glaze (it may well need little or no extra cooking). Return the radishes to the pan, turn to coat them in the glaze, season again and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

The abundant crop of radish leaves are good in our salads because they are tender, crisp & with just a little tang ... 

SALADS

The most obvious way to eat radishes and their greens is raw in a salad.  This is how I most often eat them, probably because it’s the easiest!  The greens have a nice flavor and are great mixed in with other salad greens. 

I also think I will try some of these recipes too - the grilled corn salad is a perfect bbq salad 

• 2 ears organic sweet corn
• 1 small cucumber
• 3-4 radishes
• 1 jalapeno
• fresh chives
• fresh mint
• fresh basil
• 1 lime
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

First, peel the corn down to a single layer of husk and soak them in water for at least 10 minutes.  Then you will want to get your BBQ going, because this is a grilled corn salad, baby!

See the link for how to make the salad 

Are you growing anything? What is your favourite salads? Last week, a friend & I had this lovely salad in Shrewsbury

It inspired me to make my salads more adventurous - this is mine this week, the green leaves all from my garden.

Green leaves with yellow baby tomatoes, beetroot, sweet yellow peppers, spicy sunflower seeds & tiny dried pear pieces ....

A similar salad with garden salad leaves, baby yellow tomatoes & peppers, beetroot, parsley from the herb garden, seeds & avocado then dressed with balsamic vinegar ....

Please share & inspire us all to be healthy 

Thanks for stopping by & taking time to read & comment - it is much appreciated. 

Dee ~♥~