Winter Salad - You BET!

When I first started scribbling (literally) about food in the early 1980s the only winter salads were ones made from cabbage and grated root veggies. We did warm potato salads studded with crisp bacon and stewed canned tomatoes with onion and a bit of sugar. But that was about it. I have nothing against cabbage or coleslaw but I do love my greens.

But then, a few days ago when it was -20′C and the cutting wins, I wanted a good green salad and almost magically, it happened. It was one of those ‘a ha’ moments where all of a sudden it became clear that real changes had occurred. No mediocre California produce here! The great greenhouses of Ontario have perfected an ‘early’ crop of small English cucumbers about 4 ” in length. There are sweet winter carrots ( I love Purple Haze); micro greens and ‘living’ lettuces. Had I needed more I could have added thin slices of mini salad turnips or daikon radishes or red onions.

Rummaging through my fridge I found great grainy Saskatchewan mustard and a bottle of Prairie Cherry topping that, when whisked with grated local garlic, a spoonful of goldenrod honey I’d bought at the International Ploughing Match when it was in Elgin County, some mild organic apple cider vinegar from Filsinger’s in Ayton, Ontario and great, all Canadian,canola oil, made an absolutely perfect dressing. Oh yes, the salt was from Goderich, Ontario and that left only the black pepper that hailed ‘from away’. The finishing touch was a chunk of Fifth Town goats milk cheese that I crumbled on top.

You know, I think we’re beginning to close in on self sufficiency. It’ll be such fun, in another decade or so, to see how much farther we’ve come.

Stay tuned!