Autumn harvests: 3 gloriously colourful salads!

All either naturally or easily adapted to be wheat and dairy free, vegetarian / vegan, fresh and totally delicious!

1. Miso Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

A lovely vegan salad; with the nuts & Ancient grains (if using), this is a nutrient packed, pretty main course which headlines the wonderful Autumn Orange colours, whilst still celebrating the fact that fresh, baby leaves are still available in the veg garden (or locally grown, & available in the veg department of the supermarket!). Other than the dressing ingredients, the items listed below are just suggestions – work around what is fresh and ready for harvesting (or available for buying!). The Miso, Mirin, Rice Vinegar, Sesame Oil & Maple Syrup dressing is so satisfying as we enter autumn: sparky, slightly oriental, and immensely comforting!

INGREDIENTS

400g Sweet potato
200g of tender young broccoli or fresh baby salad leaves
200g young beans (French / Mangetout / Runner…)
300g cherry tomatoes or quartered large tomatoes; I like to roast these first
100g of cooked Ancient grains or Couscous, prepared & seasoned
(20g shredded red cabbage and carrot – or just use more baby salad leaves)
50g Baby leaf kale, or baby salad leaves
20g roasted Pumpkin seeds
20g of toasted Pistachios
20g of Dried cranberries
2 tbsp of sesame oil plus extra for roasting
1 tbsp miso
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp mirin

Toasted pine nuts & balsamic glaze to finish, if wished.

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2. French Bean, Roasted Tomato, Basil & Balsamic Salad

The colours and tastes of summer on a plate!

I love this fresh, tasty salad – such great texture combinations between the crunchy steamed green beans, the roasted tomato flavour bombs (roast cherry tomatoes whole, or quarter larger ones), the fat, oozy sweet roasted garlic cloves, and pops of lively basil. As beautiful to the eye as it is pleasing to the palette – and such a great accompaniment to so many dishes.

Summer on a plate.

Method:

Roast the garlic cloves whole, with their skins on alongside the whole cherry, or 1/6th wedges of larger tomatoes, having first seasoned the tomatoes with sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and some herbs if available – I use thyme / sage / rosemary. Once roasted, squeeze the pulpy garlic cloves gently out of their skins: cooking this way gives them a thick, silky texture and supremely sweet taste. Shred Basil through as you layer up.

Then drizzle the roasting juices over the salad and top with balsamic glaze.

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3. Caramelized Onion, Rocket and Baby Spinach leaves, and soft boiled / poached egg

Use small, sweet onions, roasted until caramelized with a little flavourless oil, seasoning, & finely chopped thyme, sage or rosemary. Scatter with mustard seed before serving if wished. Omit egg for a vegetarian or vegan salad – replace with soft vegan cheese.

The textures of the soft, caramelised onion contrast perfectly with the peppery rocket and crispy baby spinach, lambs lettuce or salad leaves: a perfect nest for the rich, par-boiled eggs. A beautiful accompaniment to many dishes, or the perfect lunch, by crusty fresh bread, and perhaps some home baked ham, or zingy goats cheese.

The Oaks’ Vegetable Garden

This month is Organic September. Something to think about as we’re planning next year’s planting & garden management: Perhaps becoming more guided in our choices by the environment – both within our own gardens, & in terms of our own impact on the wider _scape.

“In times of doubt and anxiety the attitudes people show in their daily lives, in their homes, and in their work, are of supreme importance.”

Queen Elizabeth II in her Christmas Broadcast, 1974.

Whatever else is going on, time in the Vegetable Garden is special. It seems to have an enchanted atmosphere beyond that old metal gate, and within the protection of the tall deer and rabbit proof fencing.

A place where nature reigns supreme: Showcasing the wonder of the cycle of life, as seeds, saved from one year, are nestled into compost – made with the expertise of the worms – and quickly grow, flower and then produce bountiful harvests.

There’s something magical and so grounding about watching and being part of that time honoured natural cycle and enjoying truly home grown, perfectly imperfect produce!