I recently came across the 52 Week Salad Challenge, and since my aim when I started the potager was to keep it stocked with edibles all through the year, I decided to join in. I'm not a huge salad eater but I do love having fresh crunchy lettuce in my sandwich each day. Also, if the veges are just sitting there in the garden waiting to be eaten, I'm more likely to try and find something to do with them - particularly if there is feta cheese in the fridge!
My potager has four quarter-circle beds in the middle, and these tend to be my salad beds. Each one has an upright rosemary in the middle and is edged with chives and carrots, with any other gaps filled with spring onions and lettuces (Freckles and Red Flame). The lettuces are growing well, it's been a cool summer which they seem to have enjoyed, although it did take them a while to get up to size. I've got a few spring onions left but the seeds I sowed a couple of months ago have been very slow to grow.
While I was waiting for the lettuces to fill out I sowed a row of rocket which has been true to its name. I'm not in the school of people who find rocket peppery, it's more... nutty? Earthy? Either way, I love the depth of flavour it brings to a humble pile of green leaves!
My favourite summer salad:
Mixed greens torn into bite size pieces, including Freckles lettuce, Red Flame lettuce, rocket, and basil
Sliced spring onions
Quartered cherry tomatoes
Finely chopped red chilli (flesh only, no mouth-blistering seeds for me thanks)
Crumbled feta cheese
Dressing:
Juice of a lemon
Slosh of oil
Salt, pepper and about half a teaspoon of honey
1-2 tablespoons plain yoghurt
Whisk together till combined.
If you want to join the 52 Week Salad Challenge, see this post for more info.