Make your own Salad Dressings! Easy and Better For you!

FOR ALL THOSE GREENS YOU GET OUT OF THE GARDEN, DON'T SPOIL THEM WITH STORE BOUGHT SALAD DRESSING!

Over the winter my Kale, Mustard Greens and Lettuce has kept me supplied with fresh greens.  I don't buy prepared salad dressing, I make my own.  Here are 4 easy recipes to whip up your own to keep your salads fresh and free of unnecessary ingredients and calories.

Sweet Balsamic Vinaigrette:
This is great with bitter greens, like Kale, mustard greens, beet greens and don't forget those spring dandelions, Appropriate for a salad for 4.

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive oil
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
4 TBSP real maple syrup or Agave Nectar
freshly ground black pepper.
Place ingredients in a canning jar, shake vigorously, then pour over salad and toss.

Light Italian Dressing
This makes enough for 2 or 3 salads, depending on the size.
1/2 cup Canola Oil
1/3 cup White Wine Vinegar
1 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese
 tsp liquid from prepared minced garlic
fresh ground pepper
1 tsp onion powder (or add fresh sliced onion to the salad)
1 tsp dried Italian herbs (if you grown your own, I use basil, oregano, parsley, sage and thyme
Place ingredients in a canning jar, shake vigorously.

French Vinaigrette
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup red or white wine vinegar
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
fresh ground pepper
That's it.  This will yield enough for a very large salad or 3 small salads

Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola Dressing
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup crumbled cheese
fresh ground pepper
2 TBSP cream or milk
Place all ingredients in a blender and pulse until mixed.  If creamier consistency is desired, reduce the milk or cream to 1 TBSP.  Enjoy!

Once you start making your own dressings, you'll never go back to a bottle.

These ladies kept us busy and warm this past winter even though we had only one snow day all season.  You can see the dusting, of white, outside the window,  in the back ground.  Clockwise is Patchoulette (she's the very old lady, now she's almost 12, then Skittles who is 1 1/2 and Snicker who is also 1 1/2.  All very different personalities and entertain us greatly.

Now it's  time to get rolling on the tilling and planting.
During the winter I covered my raised beds and now have Lettuce, Kale, Parsley, a bit of Spigarella, Swiss Chard, mustard greens and a few beets.
I walked out to feed the birds this morning and see our first 5 stalks of Asparagus.  Its April 8th and I can't remember having it this early before, but I am glad.
Our fruit trees are all pruned and blooming nicely. Apple Blossoms are so beautiful, white with shades of bright pink in the center.
The pond has been full throughout the winter and we are hoping for good rain this spring but not as much as last year.
This winter we realized something was eating all of our chickens.  Last fall we had 18 hens and now we are down to 5 hens and 1 rooster.  We suspect we know what happened but it does no good to dwell on it, We are now being more vigilant at watching and defending our birds territory.

I have been working hard at cleaning out the ducks pen and setting fresh hay.  Next, this weekend, I will tackle the chicken coop. A couple of weekends concentrating on shoveling sh--  which results in a season of clean happy birds.
When I worked for Saks Fifth Avenue, I never imagined I would be shoveling composted bird poo and loving it. How times change!