Yesterday and the day before, when temperatures were in the 30s and humidity soared here, would have been a good time to post this recipe. But, I didn’t, so here it is on a day that started warm and humid, only to be mercifully refreshed by a cold front moving into our area. Not too summery any more, but the principles of this salad can be applied pretty much any time of the year.

Here’s how it came about. We were at the cottage we rent on the shores of Lake Huron when we were invited to lunch with a group of friends. I decided that my contribution would be a salad based on what I could find at the local Juicy-Fruit Farm Market that morning.

My market yield included a couple of slim and tender yellow zucchini, fresh tomatoes, some slicing cucumbers and an orange pepper. I had brought some snow peas with us to the cottage, so I decided to use those too. Basically, I cut all the vegetables except the peas into roughly same-sized dice (the exception that proves the rule being that nice half-moon of cucumber that’s front and centre in the photos, having escaped my notice earlier). I sliced the snow peas lengthwise to add visual interest.

The dressing was one of my quick, whisk-it-with-a-fork-in-a-small-bowl specials: a tablespoon and a half or so of olive oil, a good tablespoon of red wine vinegar, half a teaspoon of whole grain mustard, freshly ground pepper and a bit of salt. Whisk, taste, adjust, pour over the salad and toss.

Final steps? Take photos, cover the salad, change from beach garb into lunch-with-friends-on-the-patio clothing and head out for a convivial few hours of mingling and sharing our various culinary contributions to the meal.

Fresh, local, simple. Ah, summer.

Kitchen Memories

One Year Ago: Farewell Summer Holiday – Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup

Two Years Ago: Summer-Fresh Bean & Tomato Salad