"In order to live off a garden, you practically have to live in it."
~Frank McKinney Hubbard

This quote is becoming truer everyday, as we find ourselves less and less at the grocery store, and shopping more and more at local farms, or eating produce from our own back yard. But I'm finding that the joy that comes from harvesting enough vegetables to make an entire crunchy, colorful salad, from our very own back yard, is worth every bit of work. We spend every day doing some life-giving work in the garden - removing the endless sprigs of grass from our raised beds of lettuce, or untangling English ivy that loves to twine itself around every square inch of the yellow trellis. And I have found that the care we put into it only makes the arugula taste spicier, the tiny pole beans sweeter.

Here are two of our largest "harvests" so far...what delicious salads they made!

i spy 2 basil leaves and 2 pea pods!
and a variety of lettuce - "craquerelle du midi" romaine
and a cook's mesclun mix - mmm!

more lettuce including a cute baby romaine
and our first 3 squash,
which we actually sliced with a mandolin
and ate raw in a salad

a closer look at the red orach

For a garden-fresh salad, all you need to "dress" them is a simple vinaigrette:
3 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 tbs. vinegar (my favorites are Sherry Vinegar & Apple Cider Vinegar)
A small dollop of Dijon mustard, if you prefer a creamier dressing
Sea salt & black pepper to taste

Whisk it all together, or shake in a glass mason jar, and pour over the fresh greens. Delightful!