Summer Blueberry Salad

I made the most amazing salad! It was amazing because it was full of things from my garden, and things from the wild, and things from my family. I didn't think I could make a salad with this much local flavor. And then there's sweet, salty, and crunchy. Trust me, you're going to want to try this one!

Local in Grand Marais, around this time of the year, is definitely the wild berry harvest. The berries are plentiful and many of you already have a healthy supply in your freezers. I was lucky enough to pick some wild blueberries. They adorn this salad, and add an earthy sweet note. The other ingredients are simple, and you can improvise with what you have available in your gardens or your local area. Red leaf lettuce, green beans, snap peas, and garlic chives are all abundant in our garden and so they all played a role in this salad. I also used pecans that were harvested from the old farmstead in southern Illinois where my mother in law grew up. They are sweet and delicious! I love knowing the source of my ingredients, it just makes things taste better!

my daughter's sugar snap peas are enjoying the summer's heat

the red leaf lettuces survived a chicken ambush!

SUMMER BLUEBERRY SALAD

1 cup wheat berries (you could use cooked wild rice, farro or quinoa too)
1 tsp salt
1 cup sugar snap peas ( I used both sugar snap peas and green beans)
4 cups coarsely chopped red leaf lettuce ( a variety of greens would work- baby kale, beet greens spinach, etc)
1/2 cup apple cider vinaigrette (recipe follows)
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup toasted pecans
3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1. Bring several cups of water to a boil. Add the wheat berries and salt, and simmer until cooked- about 25 minutes. Strain, and rinse under cold water. Set aside.

2. Chop the peas and beans into bite sizable pieces.

3. Toss together all of the ingredients with the vinaigrette. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Serve with remaining vinaigrette. Enjoy!!

APPLE CIDER VINAIGRETTE

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
a few sprigs of garlic chives  (chives, garlic scapes or green onions will work)
2/3 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons honey (or maple syrup)
2 tsp coarse grained Dijon mustard

Whiz the above ingredients together in a food processor or blender. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. You can store this in the fridge for a week. It's really great on grilled fish!

wholesome local goodness!