Winter Greenhouse Salad

The greenhouse has turned out to be bountiful, and a good learning experience. I have tried to grow a number of things that were failures, but in the process we learned a lot. We have also been able to eat fresh greens for the past few winters that weren't available to us before.

Since we have changed our diet to healthy low carbohydrates and quality proteins, our meals have become more simple, with less ingredients, and contain as much homegrown food as possible. Actually, we have gotten to the point that we have to be very careful what we eat from the store, because most of it makes us sick. But that's another article for another day.

We are far enough into the winter growing season that the spinach and lettuce in the outdoor, back porch bed is slowing down and buried in oak leaves, while the greenhouse vegetables now provide a good plate of salad fixings.

Small garden bed by the back porch. We have wanted to use this area for a long time.

For these salads I picked.....

Romaine, Buttercrunch and Black Seeded Simpson lettuces

Simpson lettuce

Bloomsdale spinach

Pak Choy cabbage

Cress

The cress is still pretty small. I transplanted it from the back porch bed about a month ago since it had really slowed down it's growth from the weather.

Kale

We have finally found a way to eat kale. All of the other ways we have tried, we don't like because of the strong flavor. Here I pick the leaves when they are about the size of a quarter to half dollar. They are starting to get that kale type of flavor, but mixed in with the other greens, they aren't noticeable.

Parsley

The parsley wasn't growing well back in the herb bed this year, and neither did some of the other herbs. I'm not sure why, but I ended up transplanting them into pots and growing them on the porch instead. Now all of those herbs have moved into the greenhouse to see how they do over the winter. We had a bit of parsley in some of the salads, but it didn't set well in Frank's stomach, so it's just growing in here for now.

When the forecast is in the teens at night, like it is tonight, we cover everything with some frost cloth and turn on a small electric space heater. Tonight is the second time we have used the frost cloth and space heater this winter. I don't worry about 22*F and above. The water barrels seem to keep everything warm enough and most of the things growing in here are cold hardy plants. The space heater and frost cloth seems to help and we haven't lost anything yet. Not even the yellow squash, believe it or not, or the flowers.

I never thought this would grow. We haven't done anything special for it.

It's nice to be able to tell Frank I'm going to go pick some lunch, even in the winter. I feel like I am providing some good nutrition and at the same time, get to enjoy the process of growing things, something I have always enjoyed.

Until next time, Fern

A Simple Layered Salad

This is another very simple side dish that is easy to fix. The ingredient list for this dish can be endless and easily tailored to what you like and what you don't like. Even my carnivore, Frank, likes it, which is a miracle in itself. He even requests it on occasion. 

As I was making this salad and thinking of how I would describe it on here I thought, "I really feel sorry for anyone that is a new wife or cook and trying to follow my recipes." See, when I first got married I could burn water. Really. Well, maybe not burn exactly, but I sure couldn't cook very many things and it was just about impossible to get things to come out ready to eat at the same time. We had to spend some time eating one thing at a time so it didn't get cold while we were waiting for everything else to be ready. So, for any newly married young folks out there, I'm sorry. I know my measurements are usually nonexistent, which can be really difficult. At least for someone like me. There are still times when I ask someone how they made something and they kind of describe it like I do - add a little of this and a little of that until it tastes like you want it to. Unless I have tried something and kind of know how it will taste, I need a recipe to follow, at least once. Then I've been known to change things around, sometimes rather drastically, to suit our tastes. This is one of those dishes.

Layer 1: This salad will be good with whatever greens you like to eat. I prefer a leaf lettuce. So first I cut it to bite size, well kinda. Put the greens in a bowl that is big enough for the quantity you want to fix. This will depend on how many people you are feeding. That is the nice thing about this salad. You can make it as large or as small as you need or want. It will be good for several days in the frig, so for us, leftovers are intended.

Layer 2:  Celery, 1 or 2 stalks, chopped

Layer 3: Green onions, to taste, chopped (I used 5)



 

Layer 4: Frozen green peas (we have also used frozen mixed vegetables) I take these out and rinse them in cold water in a strainer to separate them before I start cutting up the lettuce.

 

Layer 5: Add any other vegetables you want. Sometimes we add bell pepper. I thought about rehydrating some of my dried peppers and putting them on here, but I forgot. Maybe next time.

 
Layer 6: The dressing. I had a recipe for this once, but it has morphed into this. In a 2 cup measuring cup I put in about 1 cup of mayonnaise. I don't use Miracle Whip or anything like it, so I'm not sure how that flavor would work with this. 

To the mayo I add about this much Ranch Dressing. If I had to guess, I would say about 2 or 3 tablespoons.
 

Next, I add some lemon juice. Again, if I were guessing, I'd say about 3 tablespoons. Mix well until smooth.
 

Pour this dressing out onto the salad.

 

Then spread it out evenly and kind of seal off the salad. 

 

 Layer 7: Shredded cheese, any kind you like. I used some of our cheddar.
 

Layer 8: Bacon bits. We like the 'real' ones that come in a bag from the warehouse market. Who knows what's been done to them for preservation, but they sure are convenient.

 

I have also been known to add a layer of boiled eggs and sunflower seeds. It also looks pretty in a glass bowl where you can see the layers. As you can see, it is a very versatile recipe. Yummy. Easy to fix. Great to eat.

This is especially good in the summer when it can be made with fresh ingredients from the garden. In the winter, we are blessed to have all of these ingredients at our finger tips at the store. It's easy to see why people just a few years ago were so hungry for the first fresh greens of spring after having gone without during the winter. One thing I would really like to be able to do is grow some fresh greens like spinach and lettuce during the winter. It's a goal I have that has not come to fruition yet. But it will. I will soon show you the beginning of my garden this year - I planted some seeds on December 29th. About this time of year I am ready for spring and gardening again. I'll let you see how it's going. 

Really ponder what you can do to provide fresh food for your family year round without going to the store. We have grown alfalfa sprouts in a quart jar by the kitchen sink many times. They are easy and only take a few days before they are edible. It isn't our favorite thing to eat, but they are very healthy and easy to grow. This knowledge and supplies gives us one more layer of protection in the coming need for self-reliant food production. Try something new today that you haven't before and see how successful you can be. You're going to need it.

Until next time - Fern