Much Ado About Salad

I have a long history of killing plants. Not from neglect. In fact, I am so attentive to them that I smother them with too much affection. I water them too much, give them too much sun, feed them too much and get too zealous in driving pests away.

However, I do take instruction well. Now that I am a home owner, with space to grow things, I've started educating myself through books and friends whose own gardens are like Eden itself.

Lo and behold, I have grown something that I can actually eat. I grew two rows of organic Lettuce Rouge D'Hiver (Lactuca sativa) from seed this season. It is a French lettuce similar to Romaine, with shades of red like its name suggests, and a light, peppery aftertaste. It took a very long time to get big and leafy due to the lacklustre summer weather. Once or twice it even wilted a bit due to some freak heat spells. But it is a hardy plant that springs right back with a bit of water and sun. It's also a gift that keeps on giving: I trim only what I need and the rest goes on growing.

Also from seed, I grew a flower pot full of lemon basil. My fingers smell like lemons or lemongrass every time I touch the delicate little leaves. Unlike other sweeter varieties of basil, the leaves of the lemon basil are narrow and petite. It has a lot of applications in Asian cuisine, particularly in curries.

However, to celebrate my first harvest -- can't believe I'm actually using that word! -- I decided to make a simple vinaigrette using good quality olive oil, balsamic vinegar and finely chopped lemon basil. I would like to emphasize "good quality" because cheap oils are tasteless and supermarket vinegars are sharp and acrid. When you allow yourself to splurge even just a bit on these things, you quickly learn how they are supposed to taste: smooth, rounded with fruity notes. I used to hate balsamic vinegar until someone bought me the fancy stuff... now I can't go back.

I chopped my red lettuce, cut strips of orange and yellow bell peppers that I had roasted and peeled, tossed everything together with the vinaigrette, and sprinkled some freshly ground pepper and fleur de sel. Some crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese would have been a nice addition.

I finally understand why gardeners become so infatuated with sticking seeds in soil, getting dirt under their fingernails, duking it out with unwanted pests, and rejoicing whenever it rains. It's the same reason why cooks like to make things from scratch, fussing over high quality ingredients, kitchen equipment and culinary techniques.

So it looks like the black thumb is going away, hopefully to be replaced by a green thumb. I can't wait until next year to start growing more ambitious edibles. Send me your suggestions!