Apple Spinach Salad -- Greens from the Garden, Seeds in the Ground

March, and the ground is beginning to think about yielding again. I've been in the food forest every morning, looking for the signs — the first unfurling of the pawpaw leaves, the slight swelling in the apple buds, the way the soil smells different when it's warming from below. Eighteen years in one place teaches you to read these signs the way you read a person's face, by small cues that only register because you know the baseline.

Tommy was here for the week while Kai and Sarah were at a food conference in Portland — Kai was presenting, something about fermentation and cultural identity, the research he's been doing for three years. Tommy at four and a half is now a full participant in whatever is happening in the kitchen rather than an observer, and his participation includes commentary, suggestions, and occasional corrections. He told me I was using too much water when I was washing the greens and he was right. I told him good catch. He accepted this without false modesty.

We planted the first spring seeds together that week — starting tomatoes and peppers indoors in the seed trays under the grow lights in the barn. Tommy carefully placed each seed with the focused seriousness he brings to things that are small and require precision. He asked why seeds needed to be so small and I said they held the whole plant inside them in a compressed form. He considered this for a long time and then said: "Like a nap?" I said yes, a very long nap. He seemed satisfied with that framework and went back to placing seeds.

That week with Tommy — seeds placed with the patience of a four-year-old who understands precision better than most adults — had me thinking about the simplest expressions of spring: fresh greens, a little brightness, something that tastes like the season is finally keeping its promise. After all those mornings in the food forest watching things begin again, this Apple Spinach Salad felt exactly right — tender leaves, crisp apple, the kind of dish that doesn’t need much fuss because the ingredients are already doing the work. It’s what I wanted on the table when the grow lights were on in the barn and the smell of warming soil was still on my hands.

Apple Spinach Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 6 cups fresh baby spinach, rinsed and dried
• 1 large crisp apple (such as Honeycrisp or Fuji), cored and thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese
• 1/4 cup toasted walnuts or pecans
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, and Dijon mustard until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
2. Prepare the apple. Core and thinly slice the apple just before assembling to keep it fresh and crisp. If prepping ahead, toss slices in a little lemon juice to prevent browning.
3. Assemble the salad. Add the baby spinach to a large salad bowl. Layer on the apple slices, red onion, dried cranberries, and toasted nuts.
4. Add the cheese. Crumble the feta or goat cheese over the top of the salad evenly.
5. Dress and serve. Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving and toss gently to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 220 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 20g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 180mg