Greens, Glorious Greens!

The rains have been generous to us this spring, and after recovering from some flooded early crops, we are now starting to see some of the results that rain will have. One is an abundance of weeds, the other is happy greens.
You'll be seeing an assortment of mild and spicy greens, all so colorful and good for you.

Here's a summary of recipes I've been passing on:

Raspberry House Dressing:
Our daily house dressing is quick and easy: a generous dash of extra virgin olive oil, another generous dash of Tait Farms Raspberry Shrub (sort of like a honey sweetened raspberry vinegar - yum!), plus some salt and freshly ground pepper.

Basic Vinaigrette.
It keeps for weeks in fridge:
1 cup olive oil
4-5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
Combine everything in jar. Cover well and shake it up!

Variations:
➢ Add very finely minced parsley and/or other herbs (dill, basil, marjoram, chives etc.)
➢ Substitute different vinegars
➢ Add 1 to 2 teaspoon good quality mustard
➢ For creamy vinaigrette, add 2 to 3 Tablespoons sour cream or yogurt
➢ Add 2 Tablespoons lemon juice plus a little lemon rind

Salad Greens with Garlic Dressing
3 cloves garlic ( or you can use garlic scapes!)
3/4 cup oil of your choice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup milk

Put garlic, oil, vinegar, basil , salt cheese and pepper in blender, process 2-3 minutes. With blender still running, slowly add milk, processing until dressing is smooth and thick. Toss with greens. Covered and refrigerated, this dressing will keep 1 week.

From: Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

Rule of Thumb:
Be a benefactor with the oil,
A miser with the vinegar, a poet with the salt,
and a demon with the pepper!