By Summer 2032. The land was ten years old. Not the land itself—it's older than that in every sense that matters—but my relationship with it, my stewardship of it, was a decade. Ten years since I'd stood at that creek in the October light and put in the offer. I didn't make a ceremony of the anniversary. I just noticed it and let it sit.
The food forest was unquestionably a forest now. You couldn't see through the persimmon grove from more than ten feet in. The pawpaws formed a dense understory canopy that needed some management—Kai had left specific guidance, which I was following—and the hazelnuts were producing abundantly every fall. The serviceberry had spread beyond the original plantings. Native sedge covered the floor between the trees. The garden had the settled look of a garden that has been amended and worked and loved for years.
I walked it on a July morning before anyone else was up, with my coffee, the way I walk it every year on the birthday. Counted the persimmons on the biggest tree—forty-three. Same age as me. Started from seed the same week I planted them. That seemed like it meant something, the way things mean something when you're standing in woods you've known for ten years and the numbers line up unexpectedly.
Made the birthday food in the kitchen: the peach cake, now Kai's responsibility; smoked chicken; corn from the garden; a cold bean salad with the sumac dressing that the bean woman from Stilwell had shown me years ago. Family coming at noon. Ten years of this land. Still good. Still getting better.
The cold bean salad with sumac was spoken for—that one belongs to the woman from Stilwell and the years of learning behind it—but a birthday table in July needs more than one cool thing to set beside the smoked chicken. This radish cucumber salad is the kind of recipe that earns its place quietly: sharp from the radishes, clean from the cucumber, dressed simply enough that you can taste the garden in every bite. Ten years in, that’s exactly the kind of food I want on that table.
Radish Cucumber Salad
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1 bunch radishes (about 8–10), thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Slice the vegetables. Using a sharp knife or mandoline, thinly slice the cucumber and radishes into rounds. Slice the green onions on the diagonal.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt, and black pepper until the sugar dissolves.
- Combine. Add the cucumber, radishes, and green onions to a large bowl. Pour the dressing over and toss gently to coat.
- Add herbs and rest. Fold in the fresh dill. Let the salad sit for 5 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 55 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Carbs: 5g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 155mg