Seasonal Farmer's Salad Recipe

Wash and dry greens

Rinse mixed salad greens, baby spinach, and radicchio under cold water. Use a salad spinner or pat dry thoroughly with clean towels until mostly dry to prevent a soggy salad.

Stack leaves and roughly chop into 1–1.5 inch pieces for a chopped salad texture. Place chopped greens in a large bowl and chill briefly while preparing other components.

Prepare tomatoes and cucumber: halve cherry tomatoes and seed and dice the cucumber into bite-sized pieces. Add to a medium bowl.

Cook and cool corn and green beans: If using fresh corn, cut kernels from the cob and blanch 30–60 seconds in boiling water, then shock in ice water. If using fresh green beans, blanch 2–3 minutes until bright green and just tender, then shock. Cut beans into 1-inch pieces. Drain well and add to the vegetable bowl.

Slice radishes thinly on a mandoline or with a sharp knife. Slice seasonal fruit (peach, apple, or pear) into thin wedges or bite-sized pieces and toss with a small squeeze of lemon to slow browning if using apple or pear.

Combine all prepared seasonal vegetables and fruit in the medium bowl and set aside.

If using chicken: slice or dice leftover roasted or smoked chicken into bite-sized pieces. If using eggs: hard-boil eggs (see below) and chop.

How to hard-boil eggs quickly

Place eggs in a saucepan, cover with cold water by 1 inch, bring to a boil, then cover and remove from heat for 10 minutes. Transfer eggs to an ice bath for 5 minutes, peel, and chop.

Crumble goat cheese or feta just before assembly to retain some texture and add to the protein bowl.

Toast seeds or nuts: In a small dry skillet over medium heat, toast pepitas or chopped walnuts, stirring frequently until fragrant and lightly browned, about 3–4 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.

Thinly slice red onion and soak in cold water 5–10 minutes if you want to mellow the sharpness, then drain well.

Chop fresh herbs and set aside.

Make the dressing: In a small jar or bowl, combine lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Whisk or shake until combined.

Slowly add olive oil in a thin stream while whisking continuously (or add all and shake vigorously in a jar) until the dressing emulsifies and becomes slightly thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, or a touch more honey or lemon as needed.

Combine components: Add the prepared seasonal vegetables and fruit, proteins, crumbled cheese, sliced red onion, toasted nuts/seeds, and chopped herbs to the bowl with the chopped greens.

Toss with dressing: Drizzle about half of the vinaigrette over the salad and toss gently but thoroughly to coat. Add more dressing to taste (reserve extra dressing on the side for guests who want more).

Finish and serve: Transfer salad to a serving platter or individual bowls. Sprinkle additional cheese, herbs, and crunch on top. Serve immediately so greens stay crisp.