GREEN PATCH

Enlarge Image Image Gallery

The Daily Salad

Kathleen Halloran, former editor of The Herb Companion, is a freelance writer living in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Question:
Which herbs can be used in salads?

Answer:
Now we’re talking about one of my favorite ways to use herbs fresh from the garden—the salad bowl. I grew up in a household where we had salad every night for dinner, and it was my job to fix it. Our salads consisted of iceberg lettuce and maybe a tomato. Today, my salads are much more creative, but they’re still a daily fixture in my life.

Any herb that’s edible (which simply means it’s not poisonous) and whose taste you enjoy can be tossed in a salad. Herbs are a fabulous way to enhance the taste, texture, and nutritional value of a salad. They play off nicely against the rather bland and neutral taste of most lettuces. I especially enjoy salads that are a mix of diversified flavors, lettuces and herbs tossed together and lightly dressed, so that the flavors blend together in my mouth and every bite is an adventure.

Debbie Whittaker’s story on page 42 mentions the peppery flavors of arugula, nasturtium, and cress, all excellent accents in a salad, but there are many more. Here are some suggested salad fixings that can be used fresh from the garden.

• Parsley. Both the frilly and the plain-leaved varieties can be used either chopped or torn into bite-sized pieces. This familiar herb is high in vitamins A, B1, B2, and C as well as niacin, calcium, and iron. Wash this herb well before you use it, especially the curly-leaved variety.

• Basil. The many varieties of basil add flavor and color to a salad. The large-leaved varieties, including one called ‘Lettuce Leaf’, are good in salads, torn into bite-sized pieces; the purple-leaved ones add a splash of color; and the spicy-flavored basils such as ‘Siam Queen’ and ‘Licorice’ add a punchy accent. There are also lemon-flavored basils that work nicely in a salad. Experiment.