52-Week Salad Challenge: January Picks and Recipes
Michelle at Veg Plotting recently proposed a challenge: grow or forage something salad-worthy every week of the year. It’s such a good idea that I decided to join in. Curious to see what’s available in midwinter, I took a walk around the garden to see what could be harvested with little effort. We’ve had a mild, if windy, winter so far, and several unexpected greens are still thriving.
Nasturtium leaves have survived the winter so far
Flat-leaved parsley adds fresh, herbal flavor
Bittercress volunteers everywhere — not really bitter, more of a peppery cress note
Calendula (marigold) blooms — colourful petals that brighten salads
A globe artichoke that could be grilled and added to a salad for smoky depth
Celery leaves from plants left in the ground — full of aroma and crunch
Florence fennel gone to seed offers delicate fronds and flowers for salads
Baby chard leaves add colour and crunch; the ribs can be saved or lightly steamed
Bittercress paired with baby red kale — young kale leaves are pleasant raw
More kale and beetroot tops — useful, flavourful salad greens
Baby turnip tops — tender and tasty in salads
When cabbages are harvested we cut a cross in the stump; the baby resprouts are crunchy
Radishes left to leaf and set pods give mustardy crunch to salads
Lettuce ‘Cocarde’ — a reliable lettuce for winter salads
Prostrate rosemary, primrose flowers and thyme — herbs and edible flowers to use now
Hop shoots — a seasonal ingredient to look forward to
Chickweed — abundant and free to forage, great in mixed salads
A few tomatoes have persisted in the polytunnel into the new year
Wild rocket thriving in the polytunnel — peppery leaves add zip
I’ve also written a couple of simple recipes using chickweed, including a pakora and a warm dressed salad. Enjoy experimenting with whatever greens your garden or local foraging spot offers this week!
