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This Mediterranean combination tastes like early fall

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED SEP 22, 2019

Fresh figs and walnuts, plus blue cheese and greens, will be tossed for the salad. Rose petals, hiding upper left,

will add a colorful touch. (Photos: Debbie Arrington)

Recipe: Fig-walnut salad has unexpected ingredient -- rose petals

Crunchy, salty, chewy, sweet; this salad has a tasty mix of flavorful opposites plus one surprise.

Figs and walnuts, which are now coming into season, contrast with baby arugula, chard, kale and other cool-weather greens. Crumbled blue cheese gives the salad some extra tang.

This combination was inspired by a simply classic fig-arugula-feta salad served at Mulvaney’s B&L. The fresh walnuts provide some extra crunch.

For extra color, I added some fresh rose petals. (Yes, roses are edible, but only if you don’t spray or use systemic pesticides. Rinse petals well but gently to avoid bruising.)

Figs and walnuts are in season now.

Many different baby greens work well in this salad. When thinning chard or kale (leafy greens generally cooked before serving), save those little discards for fresh salads. They add texture as well as flavor to fall salads.

Fig and walnut salad
Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 fresh figs

¼ cup walnuts, chopped

¼ cup blue cheese, crumbled

2 cups fresh mixed baby greens (arugula, chard, kale, etc.)

¼ cup rose petals (optional)

Vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

A lovely salad to herald fall.

Instructions:

Wash figs. (Peeling is optional.) Slice thinly.

In a large bowl, combine greens, rose petals, figs, chopped walnuts and blue cheese.

In a jar, combine all ingredients for vinaigrette. Cover and shake well.

Drizzle dressing over salad ingredients. Toss lightly. Serve immediately.

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RECIPE

A recipe for preparing delicious meals from the bounty of the garden.

Keywords:

recipes gardening Sacramento backyard produce produce management salad farm to fork homegrown food fall fruit figs

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Dig In: Garden Checklist

For week of June 4:

Because of the comfortable weather, it’s not too late to set out tomato and pepper seedlings as well as squash and melon plants. They’ll appreciate this not-too-hot weather. Just remember to water.

* From seed, plant corn, pumpkins, radishes, melons, squash and sunflowers.

* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes.

* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias.

* It’s also a good time to transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.

* Let the grass grow longer. Set the mower blades high to reduce stress on your lawn during summer heat. To cut down on evaporation, water your lawn deeply during the wee hours of the morning, between 2 and 8 a.m.

* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.

* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.

* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.

* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather.

* Thin grapes on the vine for bigger, better clusters later this summer.

* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries.

* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants.

* Trim off dead flowers from rose bushes to keep them blooming through the summer. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.

* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.

Send us a gardening question, a post suggestion or information about an upcoming event. sacdigsgardening@gmail.com