It’s National Salad Month. Most of use eat asalds b/c they are super healthy for us. But, I’m not going to harp on that. You’ve all heard the health benefits of salad a million times – just eat your greens, ok? You’ll live longer, be smarter, and have perfect pitch (or something like that)! 
I’m going to use this soapbox to spend a little time extolling the virtues of gardening, and gardeners i.e. the source of all salads! Specifically, I want you to give some serious thought to GROWING your salad. Gardening is where it’s at – for these 7 excellent reasons:
(1) gardening will open up a community of cool folks to you. For example, many communities have charity plant sales, and see swaps (i.e. Seedy Saturday!) in the spring, where you can meet other gardeners, and get some raw materials on the cheap!
(2) Gardens are great for wildlife and urban biodiversity – the birds and the bees will thank you! (Especially if you lay off the pesticides!)
(3) Gardening is good exercise! You’ll find muscles you didn’t know you had – especially at the back of your thighs, from all the bending down!
(4) Garden fresh produce just tastes better. From ground to plate in 20 minutes? You can’t beat that! (…get it??)
(5) Personal Satisfaction. Caring for a garden, and ultimately enjoying the fruits of your labours, just feels darn good!
(6) You may win a prize!!
(7) Gardens make great subjects for your photographer friends!
Finally, if you’re thinking, “that’s all well and good, but I don’t have a yard” there a lots of great resources on container gardening http://www.journeytoforever.org/garden_con.html . Sure you may not be able to grow a pumpkin, but all the fresh herbs you need, and maybe a tomato or two, don’t take any room at all. This is my little pocket garden at my condo! This year I’ve planted lots of herbs, carrots, two kinds of letuce, cabbage, sunflowers, beans, peas, dill…
Ok – that’s enough of my soap box. Since this *is* a food blog, I thought I would share a simple simple old time (or is that olde timey?) salad recipe that will be great for all of your summer bbq’s. The cucumber’s are refreshing, and you don’t have to worry about the lettuce going all wilty in the heat.
Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad
(serves 6-10)
1 c white vinigar
2/3c white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 large sweet onion
1 med bell pepper
1 med tomato
2 cucumbers
Chop the veggies – I used a mandoline to get nice even slices. Mix up the remaining ingredients as a dressing, and mix everything together in a bowl. Allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 min. Will store covered for a few days.
Happy Victoria Day Long Weekend everyone!
~Dea
ps – it’s also National Vanilla Pudding Day!
3 comments
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May 22, 2010 at 11:21 AM
Sage
As I read this my soil is sterilizing in preparation for potting the herbs I sprouted on my windowsill this spring
Here’s a list of 66 things that can be grown by all those yard-less gardener wannabes.
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/sixtysixthings-growhome-containers-withoutgarden.html
Thanks Dea! This is much closer to my heart than Vanilla Pudding!
May 22, 2010 at 7:54 PM
Janelle
Those nasturtiums are so cute!
May 23, 2010 at 7:52 AM
always an adventure
i LOVE gardening! i live in an apartment so for about a year i had a community garden plot that was GREAT! cool people and we built it from the ground up. we all pitched in on the communal areas and many plots were donated to the local community center that ran programs for low income families. it was AWESOME.
but it was across town and i started working more so now i dont have my own plot just help with the community areas because the organizers are so cool!
LOVE this entry. you rule!