AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: The First Salad of the Season DATE: 5/04/2009 09:51:00 AM ----- BODY:

Less than two weeks after I started thinning the arugula, mizuna and tatsoi sprouts, I harvested my first salad. The leaves from the first cutting are softer and more mild in flavor than later cuttings. Even so, the salad is far superior to anything I could purchase in the market.

Labels: urban gardener

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ChristyACB DATE:5/04/2009 11:05:00 AM I had my first "complete" salad harvesting this weekend too! With fresh leaf lettuces, radishes, baby carrots, green onions and strawberries...who could stop themselves from enjoying it?

Congrats! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lori DATE:5/04/2009 11:18:00 AM I am so jealous, havent even got my garden in yet. I just love arugula. I can not get enough of it in the Spring. I make this salad with asparagus, balsamic and gruyere. Oh, I can not wait to have it! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

noble pig DATE:5/04/2009 02:34:00 PM Congrats! All the micro-managing and cutting of the lettuce paid off! I'm jealous! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Selba DATE:5/04/2009 09:04:00 PM I read your profile, you studied Indonesian culinary? Was it interesting? :)

My mom also loves to plant some cooking stuff like basil leaves, red hot chili padi, kaffir lime, salam leaves and more, on our roof garden. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Penny DATE:5/04/2009 10:08:00 PM Congratulation! It looks divine!

How did you dress it?

My husband would make it disappear at the kitchen sink. He adores lovely greens. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) DATE:5/05/2009 12:16:00 AM That's exciting! Did you dress it, or just nibble from the bowl? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types DATE:5/05/2009 05:23:00 AM A friend of mine was arguing with me about the benefits of local food the other day. I will have to show her your photo. A picture is worth a thousand words! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Julia DATE:5/05/2009 06:37:00 AM ChristyACB - Congrats! That sounds awesome, but I still have a ways for the other things.

Lori -- Sounds like a great salad!

noble pig -- thank goodness, otherwise I would never be able to live it down.

Selba -- Bali was so, so interesting! It was my first exposure to SE Asian cuisine and I learned SO much.

Penny -- no dressing on the first salad. I served it on the side of my dinner plate so it absorbed some other juices, but was mostly plain. Delicious!

Lydia -- nibble? That sounds so dainting. You would have laughed if you saw me.

TW - I can't imagine what the argument against local food would be. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sara DATE:5/06/2009 09:07:00 AM Lucky you! I've never had great luck with growing my own salad greens. ----- --------