Many of you may have noticed that one thing that has been noticeably absent from our box over the last couple of months have been our salads. Salad greens are famously thirsty plants, and during the dry heat of December and January, we steered away from planting these crops, knowing that they would likely wilt under the summer heat.
Since the rain has brought long-awaited relief to the farm, our salad greens have started to slowly hit their stride again.

Salad mix was the first product we ever produced on the farm, so we’re quite fond of the ritual of cutting, washing, mixing and spinning our fresh leaves. It’s a product that changes throughout the year, as different leafy greens come in and out of season. Green and oak lettuce, as well as rocket, are year-round regulars but are joined by a variety of seasonally specific greens that add different colours, textures and flavours. This season baby leaf red Russian kale, red-veined sorrel and red leaf amaranth will add a unique vitality to your weekly salad.

Enjoy
Cal Champagne
Green Connect Farm Manager

Leafy Greens- Care tips!!
The trick to get the most out pf your leafy greens are to look after them straight away. If the are left unattended too they easily wilt.  When you unpack your veg box, make sure to rinse the leaves in a cold water bath (in your sink, this will refresh them and bring them back to life. Spin them dry in a salad spinner and lightly wrap in a tea towel or place in an airtight container with a tea towel or paper towel on top. (don’t pack it too tight)
If you do this with your salad mix, kale, lettuce, and herbs you will see that it last a whole week.

Whats that in my box? 

Amaranth Leaves: Amaranth leaves are the leafy green from the amaranth plant. Normally grown in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean (where it’s referred to as “callaloo”). It’s a great source of Iron, Vitamin E and magnesium.
Just like the Sweet potato leaves they can be eaten raw, sauteed with some garlic or cooked together with onion, tomato and coconut milk.

SALADS
It’s easy to fall back on your staple salads at home, and it can sometimes get a bit boring. But salads can be so much fun. Experiment with roasted vegetables, different kinds of grains or lentils, nuts or seeds for a bit of a crunch. Don’t be scared of mixing in some apple or grapes and if you do eat cheese a try adding some feta, halloumi or parmesan. And, of course, a killer dressing can save the day.

Lemon Tahini Dressing
2 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 garlic clove, minced
½ tsp Dijon mustard
2 teaspoon thyme leaves
¼ cup Olive Oil
Salt to taste

Asian style dressing
½ cup coconut milk
2 tsp minced lemongrass
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp tamari or soy
1 tsp grated ginger
salt to taste

Mediterranean dressing
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2tsp dried oregano
1 diced sun dried tomato
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Grilled Corn Salad

3 corn cobs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion finely chopped
2 cups ripe tomatoes chopped
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup fresh basil chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions
Cook the corn in a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain then brush with olive oil and grill in a hot griddle pan (or over hot coals). Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes then slice the kernels off the cobs.
Combine the grilled corn kernels with the remaining salad ingredients.
Dress with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix to combine.

Enjoy

Kristin Watson
Fairfood Coordinator