Backyard greens

No matter how tired I am -- and I am T-I-R-E-D after what seems like two weeks packed into four days so far this week -- I can't help but get excited when I get to harvest things from my garden and it them within minutes. Tonight marked the inaugural harvest of baby kale, chard, and arugula this spring. Oh, sure, I've chomped on a leaf here and there while doing garden work, but this is the first time there was enough for a full salad. Yum! Why should it matter that the arugula and dino kale unintentionally grew out of my compost pile? So what if the Swiss chard is in its second year? It's delicious, especially with a simple and fresh dressing.

Simple salad with lemony dressing

Ingredients

• juice from 2-3 lemons (about 1/3 cup of juice)
• handful of fresh herbs (rosemary, basil, chives, thyme, sage, oregano, etc), finely chopped
• 1 cup olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• pinch of sugar (optional)
• 1 large bunch of greens (spinach, baby kale, baby beet greens, tatsoi, chard, lettuce, etc.), washed and torn into bite-sized pieces

Directions

Whisk together lemon juice and herbs in a medium bowl. While whisking, slowly pour olive oil in a slow stream. Add salt and pepper (and sugar) to taste. Blot the washed greens dry using a towel or salad spinner. Toss greens in a large bowl with dressing. Devour.

That's all. Enough salivating over my keyboard. Now it's time to juice some lemons, pick a few herbs, make some of that dressing and get eating....