9: Salad Celebration

Watch Ms. Leslie share how to harvest your garden!

Time to Eat!

You have been growing your greens and now it is time to harvest and eat them! Be sure to harvest safely and if you need help ask an adult.

Who are you going to share your salad with?
Does your family have a favorite salad recipe?

Be sure to take time and celebrate all your hard work and effort.

Harvesting Tips + Tricks

Lettuces + Bok Choy:

Tender greens are ready to harvest as soon as they have usable leaves.

Cut off the plant at soil level when harvesting tender greens for the whole plant. In some cases, a few smaller leaves will sprout from the crown if it is left in the ground. You can also just cut off the leaves that you will use at one time and let the rest grow on. Tender greens are best when eaten fresh so only take what you will use.

Collards + Kale + Chard

For the best taste, harvest leaves when they are less than 10 inches long.

Pick the outer leaves first working your way in before the plant starts to flower. Leaves can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Parsley + Cilantro

Parsley will be ready for harvest 70-90 days after planting. Bunch the stems together and cut them with scissors. This will encourage new growth. Put the stems you do not use in a cup of water and store them in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Root Vegetables

Radishes are ready to harvest within 4-6 weeks of planting, typically when the diameter has reached one inch. They are ready to harvest when you can see their rounded tops peaking through the soil. Pull up the entire plant and the root is what you will eat. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Squash:

Squash is ready to pick when the remaining flower petals on the end of each fruit are small, brown, and can be easily pulled off. The fruit is usually around 5-6 inches long when it is ready to be harvested. Wear gloves because the fruit and plant are prickly.

Eggplants + Tomatoes:

For the best taste, allow the fruit to ripen on the plant for as long as possible. The skin will be thin and glossy and it's color will be deep. Harvest by cutting the stem right above the fruit.

Peppers:

Peppers are green before ripening to red, orange, or yellow. You can eat peppers before or after they are fully ripened. They are usually 4-41/2 inches tall and will taste sweeter if left to get this big. They produce fruit throughout the summer season. To harvest, cut them off at the stem right above the fruit.

Green Beans:

Beans are fragile so handle with two hands. Harvest when the beans are about 3-4 inches long and slightly rounded.

salad tasting.pdf

Print this activity for offline fun?

Harvest your veggies and taste them first before making your salad.

Salad Veggie Tasting

Before you get started on your salad, take the time to taste your veggies. Are they crunchy? Spicy? What color is your veggie? Savor your hard work by doing a mini taste-test and the go on to the next activities and build your own salad and make a dressing.

Supplies

salad veggies

Think it Over

What do you like in a salad green? What do you prefer:

Texture: crunchy, slimy, crisp
Taste: spicy, sour, bland
Color: red, green, variegated

What vegetables have you never tried before? What do you already know that you typically like?

Let's Do It

Sample your different greens or veggies, one at a time.
Make a chart listing every salad ingredient that you have harvested and plan to add to your salad.
Rank how you feel about each salad veggie:

5 - Outstanding! This _____ is absolutely delicious; I will graze on it at every opportunity.

4 - Good. This _____ is pretty good. I could eat this again (maybe with a little ranch dressing).

3- Average. This ______ is just okay. I don’t love it, but I don’t hate it.

2- Poor. This _______ is not tasty, but I am tough so I tried it.

1- I tried it! This ______ is something I did not like, but I tried it!

After sampling, add all of your ingredients to a bowl starting with your greens first and ending with your salad dressing. Enjoy!

Watch Ms. Morgan share how to make a tasty salad dressing for your very own harvest salad!

Cooking Up Confidence salad and dressing recipe.pdf

Download this salad recipe from our friends with the North Carolina 4-H Healthy Habits Team!

Build-Your-Own Salad

The best part of making this salad is that you grew the ingredients! This activity comes from our 4-H Healthy Living program and gives you some choices on making a salad dressing that you will like best! The entire cookbook is available from UNC Press.

Let's Do It

Makes 1 serving | Serving Size: about 1½ cups

Harvest and wash your salad greens and other salad vegetables
Choose 1-2 leafy greens (1 cup) including any greens you grew in your garden or mixed greens, romaine, spinach, arugula, bibb or iceberg.
Choose 1 topping (optional)
- Grapes, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, pineapple chunks, grapefruit slices, raisins
- Almonds, pecans, walnuts or if you have a nut allergy try sunflower seeds
Choose 1-3 vegetables (1/4 cup each)
- Carrots, mushrooms, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, asparagus, green pepper, tomato, green peas, snow peas, summer squash
Wash and combine all your ingredients.
Choose a dressing (see activity below). Add 1-2 teaspoons per serving.
Toss well to coat all ingredients with dressing

Build-Your-Own Dressing

STEP 1:

Choose 3 tablespoons acid and put in a jar

Lemon juice
Rice vinegar
Red wine vinegar
Sherry vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
White wine vinegar
Cider vinegar

STEP 2:

Choose 1/2 cup or less oil and add it to the jar

Olive oil
Safflower oil
Canola oil
Vegetable oil

STEP 3:

Choose 1/2 tablespoon of the following and add it to the jar

Herbs
Spices
Dijon mustard
Minced shallots
Minced garlic
Parmesan cheese

STEP 4:

Put a lid on your jar or container and shake to mix together.

Store in refrigerator. Separation is normal. Shake or stir prior to using

Variation

Lemon Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
½ tablespoon oregano

Variation

Balsamic Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ cup olive oil
½ tablespoon Dijon mustard

Add any of these tasty edible flower to your salad!

Wash your hands, use clean scissors and harvest these flowers for a tasty treat in your salad. Always be sure to positively identify the flower to make sure you are using the right ingredient.

Violets

Violets are springing up everywhere, harvest a few for a pretty addition to your salad!

Dandelion

Dandelion flower petals are a sprinkle of fun in any salad. Young leaves can be eaten too.

Redbud

Redbud trees are in the bean family. Use these spring flowers for a scrumptious snack.

Collards

You can eat the flowers of collards, kale, broccoli and more. These plants "bolt" or send up flowers as the weather warms.

Turnips

These flowers are from the turnip plant. Usually we eat the root, but we can eat the flowers too!

Super Salad

What a beautiful salad with all these edible flowers? What will yours look like?

Celebrate Your Garden!

How tasty was your salad?
How do you like growing your own vegetables?
What vegetables are a favorite for your family to grow?
Do you have friends who eat vegetables you've never eaten?
What recipes does your family have to cook different vegetables? (mirror question!)
Can you find a vegetable recipe that is from a different culture than yours? What about multiple cultures? How do people from different cultures use cabbage? (window question!)
What do you like about gardening?

Be sure to share a photo of your garden or salad on our Just Grow It padlet! You can also share a photo of your zine!

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