Summer Garden Salad

August 18, 2012 | No Comments

The weather has been brutally hot in the last week since my family and I have been home from vacation. We do not have air conditioning in our home, and have been avoiding turning the oven on in the afternoons. My wonderful In-laws are visiting from PA, and we have been grilling a lot and eating simple fresh salads made from vegetables we grow in our garden, as well as the vegetables provided by our fantastically fresh CSA, Oakhill Organics.

Dominic and I cannot believe our eyes, when we look out our back door and see our beautiful, rustic, crowded rows of fennel, bush beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley…, as well as our already harvested and dried onions, and garlic.

We go for a family walk around our garden frequently during the days and almost every evening and snack on the different varieties of cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, bush and pole beans, all the while in awe of our bounty, and good fortune.

Our fennel is now going to seed, so we are using in often in various dishes. The other night I thinly sliced it, for a potato apple soup I was making, and it was comfortingly delicious.

We grew all of the vegetables and herbs that are in this salad, in our garden. We find this accomplishment very special and awe inspiring. This healthful salad is meat, grain and dairy free. With so many allergies popping up all over now, I feel good about making this dish and bringing it to a Summer potluck, because almost everyone can eat and enjoy it.

After marinating in the balsamic vinegar for about ten minutes, our homegrown, peppery, yellow onions seemed to grow sweeter with every bite. The fennel had a much more subtle flavor, when shaved with a mandolin. Feel free to make this salad, with any and all of your bounty.

Summer Garden Salad

Recipe type: Salad

Author: Jillian

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 heaping cups halved cherry tomatoes
1 small onion thinly sliced
1 small bulb fennel thinly sliced(on mandoline)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large handfuls of bush green beans, ends snapped off
large drizzle of good aged balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp kosher salt for water
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt for salad
4 grinds fresh black pepper
large bunch fresh parsley, stems removed and chopped( about 1/4 cup)

Instructions

Boil water in 6 to 8 quart stockpot
Add 2 Tbsp kosher salt to water, after it boils
Add green beans to water and cook al dente(a few minutes)
Strain green beans into colander
Run cold water over beans to stop the cooking process
Add cold, strained green beans, halved cherry tomatoes, fennel, onion, garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and parsley and toss well to combine.
Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
Let sit out, or refrigerate for 10-20 minutes, to allow the flavors to meld

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Tags: balsamic vinegar, bush green beans, cherry tomatoes, fennel, fresh ground black pepper, garlic, kosher salt, onion, Summer garden salad

Categories: Salads