Early Summer Salad

Today's feature is Arugula. Spicy, slightly bitter arugula. Some say it makes better salad greens when picked early (at about two inches) but I like the peppery flavor that intensifies as it grows. Arugula is not very hard to grow, it seems to grow much like the tenacious wild mustard I keep pulling out of my yard--in other words, like a weed. Apparently if you harvest the older, outer leaves Arugula (like many greens) will continue producing from April to October (Hooray!!). I planted a mesclun mix about a month ago and have been harvesting a huge bunch of arugula every Sunday for the past two weeks. And you know what that means...SALAD SEASON!!!!!

Salads. Is there anything in the world that can live up to the claim of being the healthiest food? Only you. Yummy, fresh, raw, unadulterated ingredients. Just throw what you have in a bowl, impossible to mess up.

As far as health benefits go, surprisingly Arugula is classified in the cruciferous family. I thought it would be with the lettuces, but no. Cruciferous. Which, as we have certainly learned by now, contain powerful phytochemicals that fight (if not prevent altogether) cancer. And cruciferous veggies are so enjoyable to eat if prepared, or not, properly. I guess you can cook arugula, but I wouldn't as many of the vitamins and minerals are delicate and will not survive. Arugula is lower in oxalate than some of its other leafy green neighbors. Oxalate can inhibit Calcium absorption so some recommend cooking your greens to make them more absorbable...none such case with arugula. Arugula is high in calcium, vitamin C and A, manganese, folate, iron, copper (?), riboflavin, potassium, and zinc.

Arugula has experienced a bit of a renaissance as of late. Also known as rocket and roquette it was popular in Europe (esp. Italy). And most Europeans (excluding the English) have a refined palette we admire and often emulate, for good reason.

The following salad is the perfect combination of spicy (arugula, radishes, wasabi peas) and sweet (strawberries, honey, poppyseeds, orange). This taste combination takes the edge off of both ends of the spectrum allowing the flavors to open, like fine wine.

Spicy Arugula and Strawberry Salad

1 bunch arugula (from your garden of course)

1 bunch radishes (again from your garden, or at least they were from mine...bragging..)

1/2 pint strawberries, chopped (OK, I bought em' but I'm trying to grow them...I'll follow up in a month)

5 large green olives, sliced (definitely did not grow)

Feta crumbled (certainly not my creation but I do use a local feta from Tucumcari, NM. Try it.)

Wasabi Peas (no comment)

Chop, slice, combine and top with the following dressing..

Honey Poppy seed Dressing

1/2 orange, juiced

Dash olive brine

1 tsp. poppy seeds

1 tbsp. honey

2 tbsp. olive oil*

2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Optional: fennel seeds

Mix all ingredients well.

*Note: Two tablespoons equals 1/8 of a cup.

Enjoy and eat as much salad as you can this season.