The Well-Composed Salad

My Favorite Summer Salad 

For lunch on a hot summer day nothing is more tasty and refreshing that a well-composed salad. One of our favorite summer salads features three colors of beets. I gather most of my salad makings from the local farmers market   I buy deep red beets, golden beets, and pinkish watermelon beets from local farmers.  Early in the day, often while I am making breakfast, I steam the beets, slip off the skins, and store them in the fridge.  Later when I want to make a salad I slice the beets and arrange them on a bed of organic salad greens.  I like to add cubed raw cheese,  hard boiled egg, or toasted walnuts.  The fun part is decorating the salad.  I have grow boxes and terra cotta pots of flowers and herbs expressly for this purpose.  I gather whatever looks fresh and lovely at that moment.  Chive blossoms, violets, calendula petals, and borage flowers are all fair game.  I finish the salad with a drizzle of homemade salad dressing.