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| Lots of delicious organic lettuce |
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| This is a different variety. I bought red lettuce also. |
Yesterday, my daughter visited and we took a trip to a distant town, she to buy a Japanese Maple tree for her new house, and I went to get some varieties of lettuce in some flats. Last year, I did the same thing. I bought different varieties of lettuce and planted them in window boxes which I placed just inside the railing all the way around on our large front porch. The lettuce got bright sun at some times, and filtered shade at others. I could not keep up with harvesting them by cutting off what I needed for salad, and also watering as much as they needed, especially in July. This year I bought less, and I will be better about harvesting the organic lettuce more often. I invested very little, and now I will have lots of leafy lettuce for salads and sandwiches through the summer. Of course, you could grow these from seed also.
It's well worth the work it takes to have fresh organic lettuces of different varieties for your lunches and dinners. I think I will make a homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
One of my few extravagances is buying dark Balsamic vinegar which comes from Modena, in Italy.
I buy it at Foods of All Nations, where I make some rare trips. They also sell some of their products online. I highly recommend them, and they have an amazing chef. There is no need to buy salad dressings. There is no reason you cannot make your own.
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Jane's Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
Combine the following.
one quarter cup dark balsamic vinegar
three tablespoons water
one third of a cup extra virgin olive oil
one teaspoon chopped garlic (or pre-prepared from jar, if you have it)
one small chopped wild onion (or two tablespoons of a finely chopped onion you have)
two tablespoons minced herbs or if you don't have it, one tablespoon dried Italian herbs
one teaspoon of sugar or one package of stevia (the sweet plant which grows naturally), or a
teaspoon of honey
salt and pepper to taste
Pour into carafe and shake vigorously. Keep closed and refrigerated. You can use it at once, although it is best when it has marinaded for a week.
Is also a great marinade for chicken or for beef.
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If you have medical issues which preclude eating lots of the green leafies, then get yourself a juicer. A strawberry juice or a strawberry smoothie can make blended lettuce leaves, or even cabbage leaves, disappear within a strawberry flavored drink. You get the vitamins, but are spared the grief of all that roughage.
