Spring Salads

The best sign that spring is in is the way my refrigerator screams SALAD when I open it. It may be officially summer, but here, the spring crops are still in season. Strawberrries are just now ripe for the picking and the first cherries came in today's CSA box.

My favorite spring salad?

Saute chopped garlic scapes, asparagus, and chives in butter. Hardboil an egg. Chop radishes and a small amount of cheese to add to whatever greens you have on hand. Combine the whole thing and dress simply with a bit of red wine vinegar, olive oil, and a dash of salt and pepper.

Sometimes I'll make some croutons by drizzling some baguette pieces with olive oil and toasting them in the toaster oven. You can also rub them with a split chunk of garlic scape or add salt if you like.

Dessert can be a piece of chocolate or strawberries/cherries when they become available.

At least another two weeks of salads at my place.

Strawberries are popping and jam making is in order now. Some other spring preserving I do is to freeze a gallon each of cherries and strawberries. This gives me something to make smoothies out of throughout the year. Another smoothie prep I'm adding this year is to juice a watermellon and freeze it into cubes.