Strawberries: Ripe for a farmers' market salad

A guest post from Katie Ricketts, community / market organizer at Southland Farmers' Market Association.

Oh February. You amaze me. Really, for being smack-dab in the dead of winter, the surplus of incredible produce you bring is truly remarkable. All month we've been enjoying carrots in buttery yellows and deep purples, munching on snap peas and checking the oven to see how our roasted golden beets, parsnips, butternut squash, turnips, and potatoes are doing. De-lish.

But then, THEN you hearken in the best treat of all. For the last three weeks we've seen a few here, and few there but this past week... oh wow. Strawberries have hit the market -- and they are better than ever.

Teasing and reminding us of the sweet stone-fruit summer to come, February varieties are texturally different than their summer counterparts, a bit crunchier but no less sweet. Perfectly suited to keep their shape and flavor in your spinach and arugula salad and ready to stand up to a steaming hot bowl of oatmeal, I picked up a pack from Jaime Farms... and I'm sad to say that the majority didn't make it all the way to my fridge.

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Spinach & Arugula Salad with Sherry- Honey Vinaigrette and Farmers' Market Cheese

Handful of spinach leaves (remove most of the stem and wash very well -- spinach is very sandy!)
Handful of arugula (same directions as the spinach)
Around a pint of strawberries (tops removed and cut into bit sized pieces)
Some great soft, rich cheese
Handful of walnuts, pecans, or other seeds

Dressing: Adjust all to taste

2 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 garlic clove (preferably ground with a mortal pestle) mixed with 1/4 tsp sea salt.
1/4 cup olive oil
2-3 tsp honey
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (optional)

You can get most of the ingredients at the Santa Monica Wednesday Market:

Cheese: Pick from one of many cheese vendors. I would go for a soft, rich cheese similar to goat or cheve.
Honey: Energy Bee Farms / Pacific Honey. Don't know what honey to pick out? As a point of reference, note that the avocado honey has the most robust flavor while wildflower and orange blossom are both delicate and extremely sweet.
Strawberries (winter varieties): Jaime Farms and Tamai Farms
Spinach: Tamai Farms and Rutiz Family Farms
Arugula: McGrath Family Farms and Coleman Farms
Walnuts/Pecans: The Kennedy's have a variety of nuts and dried fruit year round, and Dave Eakin has pecans in the shell! I never knew pecans could taste so fresh, crisp, and flavorful.

To healthy and sustainable eating!

Photo by Captpiper via Flickr