Salads are the healthiest of all the fast foods. We love salads here at the farm. They are packed with nutrition, require little preparation work and taste diverse and delicious. There is nothing like a locally grown salad.

Here are some ways we love to spruce up our salads and make them jam packed with nutrition and flavor.

Add nuts and seeds
I just recently started adding nuts and seeds to my salads this year and absolutely love it. You can add any nuts really, but my current favorites are roasted sunflower seeds or hemp nuts.

Include some crunch
If you are not adding nuts, make sure to add some crunch to your salad, like corn chips or croutons. Croutons are super easy to make with any leftover bread (gluten-free works just as well) and taste so good home made.

Whole grains for energy
I like to cook extra quinoa, millet or wild rice and put it on my salads. It provides extra, fiber rich carbohydrates that we need for extra energy.

Color and variety
Variety is the spice of life, and the provider of many different nutrients and antioxidants. Go for variety, color and be adventurous. A fun way to add both color and variety to your salads is to use microgreens. Our favorites to grow and eat are sunflower, pea shoots, mild mix and spicy mix.

Dress for success
Another element of a great salad is to use a dressing you are excited about! The best dressings use quality ingredients and base oils that are nutritious. I reach for sunflower, olive or avocado oils when looking for a dressing to buy. My current favorite dressings are from Bloom Box. You can add them to your box this week here.

Include something sweet
I like to include one item in my salads that is sweet or a treat I will be searching for through my salad. I love to put strawberries or blueberries as a treat. Candied nuts can be tasty as well.

Fats are flavor
Including a fat with each meal is a health rule we try to follow in our family. Adding a tasty fat to your salad will make it so delicious. Avocado or goat cheese is a personal favorite. If you don't eat dairy, Kite Hill makes a delicious ricotta that makes you think you are eating goat cheese.

Protein toppings
Adding a boiled egg, some steak or chicken to a salad helps to make it a whole meal - an easy lunch or dinner.

Beauty is in the details
While you are eating and enjoying your salad, I invite you to take a moment and really be aware of each flavor, color and texture as you are eating your salad. What do you taste? Some bitter, some sweet, some spicy. There is an experience in every bite.

I hope these ideas inspire you to think outside of the salad bowl and make a masterpiece of a meal using our salads and lettuces as your canvas. Let us know how it goes, and keep sharing your salads on Instagram and tagging us! We love to share your creations with everyone for inspiration!
We were also able to get a lot of our bigger projects completed this week like the deer fence, the wind barrier and AUTOMATED IRRIGATION. This is so huge!!

But there is never rest for the farmer (is that a saying?) - we have big dreams and ideas for the farm. This week we starting laying out the plots for this falls farm expansion. We will be adding about 28 more beds to our current 80. This section of the farm will be under greenhouses, so we can grow vegetables through winter and start the season earlier. Stay tuned! That should provide for some interesting experiences and farm shenanigans. 

This Weeks Featured Vegetable: Microgreens

Microgreens are one of my favorites vegetables to grow on the farm. They are the tiniest versions of many of the vegetables you are familiar with. Since they are only grown for 10 - 20 days depending on the type, they are very small and generally have 2-4 leaves on them. The types we grow are sunflower, pea shoots and tendrils, mild mix, spicy mix, radish, broccoli and basil.

Why Microgreens
Microgreens are rich in many vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, enzymes and phytonutrients. They also are very tasty, adding texture, flavor and color to any dish.

Microgreens are an easy way to add vegetables to your day. Here are some ways we use microgreens throughout the week.

- Topper on your salad
- On your sandwiches or burgers
- Bagel with cream cheese, cucumbers and microgreens (my current favorite)
- Garnish soups with them right before eating
- Blend them into Smoothies or juice
- On top of pizza
- Top any dish as a finishing touch
- Eat as a side salad with dressing all by itself
- Have mixed with fruit for an energizing snack