Foraging

I was out in the field the other day cutting oregano when I stumbled upon a pretty purple flower. To my surprise, this blossom was a chive. Known for their mild peppery onion flavor, chives work in almost every dish as a main ingredient or garnish. The chive flower, also edible, is violet and makes a beautiful garnish. Chives only flower for a short period of time, late Spring to early Summer, so enjoy them while you can.

There are many edible flowers; pansies, orchids, carnations and borage to name a few. Borage is my personal favorite, it is luminescent in appearance and crisp in flavor. Young leaves of the plant can be added to salad and the flowers can be candied, frozen in ice cube trays or floated in your favorite beverage.

While there are not many vegetables ready for harvest, there are a ton of herbs. Come pick up some Crossroads farm organic sage, oregano, mint, thyme and chive blossoms. If you don't see them in the store one our field foragers will be happy to cut you a fresh bunch!

Red, White and Blue Salad:

1 medium cucumber

3 medium vine ripened tomatoes

¾ cup sour cream

1/4 teaspoon course black pepper

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon chopped dill leaves

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel

1/4 teaspoon finely grated red onion

salt to taste

borage flowers to garnish

Combine all the ingredients except for the tomatoes and flowers. Slice tomatoes and arrange them, overlapping, around the edge of a serving platter. Mound the cucumber mixture in the center of the platter, just covering the inner edge of the tomatoes. Chill well, and place the borage flowers decoratively on the salad just before serving. Serves 4 to 6