Even though it’s been less than four weeks since we started planting our vegetable garden, this weekend we were able to enjoy its first bounty: a delicious spring mix salad.
Although our other veggies such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and potatoes are weeks away from hitting our plates, the salad seeds that we planted in mid-May have sprouted in full force! You can see the diversity of salads we planted: a seed mix with several varieties of green leaf lettuce, Swiss chard, bok choy and kale seedlings.
Also popping up is the row of beet seeds planted at the same time. These tender young beet greens taste amazing in salads and are full of nutrients including protein and fiber, essential vitamins and minerals (phosphorus, zinc, vitamins A, C and B6, calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, and manganese) and antioxidants. Beet greens have more iron than spinach and are generally more nutritious than the roots themselves! So, don’t throw out those greens: use them in salads or look for delicious recipes to use up the mature greens.
The planted salad seeds that are sprouting now are quite bunched together and need to be thinned out. Replanting individual sprouts to roomier quarters will encourage them to grow to larger heads and leaves.
Salad Planting Tip:
To avoid run-off when watering your garden, dig small “trenches” around the plants. Fill these trenches with water which will get absorbed by the surrounding soil and plants as needed.
The nicest thing about a spring mix salad is that you can’t go wrong with the dressing! Try a creamy creamy dill or a lighter apple cider vinaigrette.
Did you know it’s actually quite simple and rewarding to make your own apple cider vinegar?
Easy Spring Mix Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Spring Mix Salad
- 1 cup beet greens
- 1 cup kale greens coarsely chopped
- 2 cups lettuce leaves such as red leaf, or Boston
- 1/4 cup chives or green onions chopped
Creamy Dill Dressing
- 1/2 cup light sour cream (1%)
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp fresh dill weed chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt
Zesty Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 clove garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash all of the lettuce and leafy greens and dry thoroughly.
- Toss together all of the salad ingredients.
- Combine ingredients to make the dressing of choice in separate dishes. Serve on the side or toss with the salad.
So, if you have a garden, get out there and see what greens are ready for picking and eating already. If not, there’s still time to find a small plot of earth (even an old cooler, colander, pallet, plastic pop bottles or bag of Miracle Grow will do) and plant some lettuce seeds.
In a few short weeks you’ll have beautiful greens to toss with your favorite vinaigrette dressing for a delicious, nutritious and fresh first harvest.
Some additional sides for your Spring Mix Salad:
What bounty have you harvested from your garden already?
Like it? Pin it for later!
alan hughes
August 5, 2015 at 9:25 pmhello very interesting everthing in your garden looks heathy it is good gardening whether here in wales wet and humid and the veg is realy moving alonge good luck and many thanks alan
Jane and Sonja
August 8, 2015 at 12:40 pmThank you for stopping by Alan! Now in August we are fluctuating between too much and too little rain, but the garden is happy!