July Salad: Chopped Vegetable Salad Fresh from the Garden

By July, it's usually too hot for lettuce to be happy in the garden. Fortunately, while the tomatoes might still be struggling to ripen, all the other veggies are popping out all over. It's also often too hot to cook much, so the best way to get all those new vegetables into a happy place in your belly is to chop them up and toss with a simple dressing and devour. In Manhattan at all the fancy restaurants, they call it a chopped vegetable salad--and the truth is, that is simply what it is, and it is good. No need to complicate it.

If, God forbid, you don't have a vegetable garden, you can make this same salad from all the wonderful things at the farmer's market. You can even make it with stuff from the supermarket, but it won't be quite as tasty. There is a subtle authenticity and taste of sunshine that comes from vegetables harvested and eaten immediately. Often, in small veggie gardens there isn't quite enough of any one thing to make one full dish with it--but in a chopped veggie salad, there is room for everything and anything. And the more it looks like a rainbow of color, the better!

I am just going to list many of the potential ingredients and then my dressing recipe. Don't be afraid to experiment!

Chopped Vegetable Salad List of Vegetables Most Suited to Be Eaten Raw and in Small, Bite-Sized Pieces:

Beans and snaps
Beets
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Corn
Cucumbers
Fennel (yum!)
Garlic
Green Beans
HERBS, HERBS, AND MORE HERBS! (basil, dill, parsley, thyme)
Kale
Onion
Peas
Radishes
Tomatoes
Zucchini

Keep It Simple Salad Dressing

1 part vinegar (your choice of kind)
4 parts really good organic olive oil
Salt to taste

For more from Maria Rodale, go to www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com.