Have a Hankering for Fresh Greens?

It’s March, it was 70 degrees yesterday, and growing season is just around the corner. But, if you are already yearning for fresh produce, we have news for you! Charles and staff experimented with growing some greens in the unheated greenhouse this winter, and they did well. So there is chard and lettuce ready to harvest in the greenhouse right now, and Enright CSA members are welcome to come and do a little harvesting on their own—please feel free to take what you can use.

We had some of the chard on Saturday, cooked up with sauce and some eggplant I blanched and froze last summer when we were inundated with it, and accompanied by a salad of fresh-picked lettuce. It was one of the best meals I’ve had lately, and of course it had me hungry for more locally grown produce from the Enright CSA. First pickup is just about two months away, but for now, there’s a little CSA lagniappe available with these winter-grown greens.

Honeymoon Salad (with a Nice Balsamic Vinaigrette)

So, how about that lettuce we got last Saturday? I don’t think I’ve ever seen heads of lettuce quite so large. I’ve already had two delicious salads made from it, but Jennifer Belisle reports that it’s best in a Honeymoon Salad . . . which is . . . wait for it . . . “lettuce alone.”

May I have a drum roll, please? It’s a good joke, but you know you can’t really live by lettuce alone, you need some dressing. (Um, there’s probably an off-color joke in that somewhere, if you are inclined to go down that road.)

All joking aside, here’s my balsamic vinaigrette recipe, which I had to think very hard about to make up into a written recipe. I make this all the time and just eyeball the ingredients, so you might want to adjust the amounts a wee bit to suit your own taste.

Julie’s Balsamic Vinaigrette

3 Tbsps. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
½ tsp. xanthan gum (optional)*
Minced garlic (or a bit of granulated garlic if you’re in a hurry)
Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil
Vegetable oil

Whisk the first six ingredients together in a large bowl, then add about 3 tablespoons of good olive oil, still whisking. Then add about a half cup of vegetable oil of your choice slowly, while whisking, so the dressing emulsifies. Taste, and if it is too sharp, add a little more vegetable oil. Toss on those greens and enjoy!

* Xanthan gum is a powdered substance that helps dressings emulsify; I learned about it in a cooking class all about salad dressings. It’s nice if you happen to have some, but if you don’t, just be sure to mix up the dressing well before using it.