We love eating salads, especially in the hot summer months. They are perfect for a light lunch or on the side with supper. Before, when I knew nothing about eating fresh, whole foods, I always bought the salad from a bag and dressing from a bottle on the supermarket shelf. I was absolutely shocked when I looked at the 3-4 bottles of dressing in my fridge and realized they ALL contained high fructose corn syrup. In salad dressing! That’s not even mentioning a bunch of other unpronounceable ingredients. Also, I’ve been paying attention to what Mark Bittman and Michael Pollan (two acclaimed food journalists) have been saying about the correlation between pollution and global warming and the amount of fuel and energy it takes to get packaged food (like salad in a bag) to our supermarkets. It is astonishing how much pollution is caused just from transporting food across the country, or even from other parts of the world. When we started visiting our local farmer’s market, I was pleased to see the variety of fresh salad greens that were available. After we tried them, there was no going back to bagged supermarket salad mixes for us. The greens actually had texture and flavor! And the best part is that we are supporting our local economy and local farmers by “voting” for them with our dollars. I’d much rather support the neighboring farmers who spend their lives growing food than support a huge commercialized company that is flying in salad greens from another country.

Fresh Garden Salad from the Farmer’s Market (my own recipe)

• 1 cup romaine lettuce
• 1 cup spinach
• 1/4 cup red cabbage, shredded
• 1 carrot, shredded (I use the Purple Haze variety- GORGEOUS)
• 1/4 cucumber, diced
• feta cheese for topping
• Homemade Croutons (not pictured)
• Homemade Buttermilk Ranch

Toss together and drizzle with dressing.

Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing (adapted from Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution)

• 2 tsp dry mustard
• 2 tbsp unseasoned rice wine vinegar
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 9 tbsp buttermilk
• 1 tbsp fresh or dried dill
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake well. This can be preserved in the refrigerator for up to a week.