salads

You can find dozens of varieties of bitter herbs from our vendors at the Little Italy Mercato- Imagine the fragrance of fresh arugula or mustard greens, mizuna, sweet peppermint, dandelion, citrusy sorrel, soothing chamomile, endive and bright coriander.  These are all what we call "super-good-for-you-in-every-way" greens. Historically, "bitters"  are used for ceremony, healing, and cooking. These herbs naturally improve digestion and relieve inflammation throughout the body. So, when you cook and create salads with bitters, it's like a two-for-one deal: Outstanding flavor and superb health benefits. 

Try putting together this, or your own version of a bitter herb salad. You can find mizuna, sorrel, and romaine at JR Organics. Pick out a few bunches of cilantro, mint, and dandelion from Vang Farm. Then head over to Suzie's for a pinch of arugula and some dill. Toss everything together with olive oil or drizzle a bit of walnut & basil pesto from Likso Imports over all the greens. Or do as they did in biblical times and dip (or sprinkle) your leaves with salt. The cyprus blend from Salt Farm is fabulous...To balance out the bitters, add red walnuts from Terra Bella Ranch and a few halved sweet Royal Flame grapes from Smit Orchards. Sprinkle with a few sprigs of dill, and then enjoy with slices of toasted sourdough bread from Belen Bakery or maybe a glass of wine from Triple B Ranch. 

Are you wanting to make fresh, healthy dinners but feel overwhelmed by picking out ingredients and putting it all together?? Really, its not that hard if you visit the farmers' market to take advantage of Chard! JR Organics has beautiful, leavy bunches of red, yellow, and white chard now that is bursting with vitamins, carotenes, chlorophyll, and iron. Not to mention it yields delicous brackish flavors and when cooked the leaves release a sweet aftertaste.

A simple recipe for dinner is to toss some freshmade pasta (Lisko Imports has some delectable handmade fettucines of all flavors) with olive oil, lemon juice, a bit of minced garlic and steamed or sauteed swiss chard. Or try adding a little zest to your breakfast omelets by adding a few stalks of boiled chard. With Autumn really setting in, it's always a welcome idea to cook ahead and make a creamy "beans & greens" soup for take away lunches or easy dinners. Make sure to pick up some cremini mushrooms from Kawano Farms, a bundle of chard, some pecorino cheese from Taste for grating on the top, and some sprouted black eyed peas from Suzie's. Season with olive oil, garlic, and maybe add some thick cut bacon from Da Le Ranch to infuse more flavor into the broth while your soup cooks down. 

Enjoy! It's easy!

You know those greens you find in certain salads with really assertive flavors, like peppery arugula or bitter endive and dandelion? When paired with sweet citrus fruits like oranges, ripe pears or crunchy apples, and figs, you change the flavor experience of your daily dinner salad from great to sensational. Roasted nuts (almonds, walnuts, or pecans) bring out the even more sweetness in the greens. There are endless possible variations on this theme, especially if you account for dressings and oils or other heavier decorations. If you're hankering for something fresh, tasty, and not overly saturating, try combinging fresh arugula from Suzie's Farm with Valencia oranges from Paradise Valley Ranch, and roasted almonds from Hopkins AG. Or, for an easy lunch salad, combine frisee (that curly, fancy looking lettuce at Suzie's), with quartered ripe apples, toasted pumpkin seeds from the gorgeous varieties available at Maciel & Family, then top it with thin sheets of tender slices of beef that you can pick up from Son Rise Ranch and cook until they're perfectly roasted and juicy. 

GREENS GALORE AT THE NORTH PARK FARMERS' MARKET
JR Organics has tender young dandelion greens, perfect for tossing with a squeeze of fresh lemon and a splash of organic California olive oil from Thyme of Essence; keep the green theme going by adding chopped green onion and sliced avocado from R&L Farms.  If you're looking for something a little heartier, try  Suzie's Farm braising greens mix; it makes a great side dish with or without DaLe Ranch bacon, and also makes a unique and delicious topping for a homemade pizza with whole wheat dough from Conchetta's.  Rainbow chard is one of our favorite greens for cooking, we chop it and add it to soups, stews and pasta dishes (with Lisko's fresh handmade pasta, of course.) 
Don't fret if you're not cooking tonight, you can still get all the green goodness your body needs by picking up a smoothie from Green Fix.  They blend organic chard, kale, dandelion and other greens from local farmers with apple and banana to make an unbelievable tasty smoothie that's chock full of vitamins, iron, calcium, folic acid and other good stuff.  Grab one today and see how delicious healthy eating can be!