This Week at the Farmers Market: June Strawberry Salad

I spent Father’s Day weekend with dad at my parent’s country house near the Adirondacks, mowing, weeding, trimming overly eager tree branches, sweeping out the cobwebs, vacuuming the pool, and generally sprucing the place up in anticipation of summer. After our hard work we treated ourselves to a some fresh produce from the neighboring farms… not sure if you’ve heard but strawberry season is in full swing and THANK GOD, because strawberries are one of those fruits, like melons and blueberries (coming soon!!), that are basically bland and tough in the off-season. But holy mother, in June there’s nothing better.

Of course, juicy strawberries are superb on their own, topping off ice cream, boiled down for homemade jam, or baked into a pie. This weekend it was effing hot and I didn’t feel like turning on the oven, plus I wanted to try something a bit more savory to go with our dinner of grilled salmon. The farm stand down the road also sells local cheeses, meats and greens, so we picked up a bag of big, leafy spinach, and a small wheel of goat cheese, wonderfully named “Purple Haze,” and this salad was born.

June Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese, Fresh Spinach, and Lemon Vinaigrette

WHAT YOU NEED:
1 bunch fresh spinach leaves, well washed and dried
A few handfuls of mixed mesclun greens
A pint of fresh strawberries, rinsed and sliced thin
A handful or two of walnuts, chopped
Goat cheese, plain or herbed, add as much as you like–I crumbled up about as much as the size of my fist
1 cup olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper

WHAT YOU DO:

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper —let sit and marinate for 20 minutes at least.

Toss all the salad ingredients together and dress. You don’t need to use all the dressing, I trust you can use your best judgement on that one…