By August. The farm in the height of summer. The mornings are still cool but the afternoons are warm and the garden is relentless in its production. Every day something needs to be harvested or it will be past its moment. The beans, always the beans — they don't wait. Three days and they're too big. I've been blanching and freezing two pounds at a time, the chest freezer in the barn getting full in a satisfying way.
The corn is excellent this year. The patch I expanded in spring is coming in thick and the ears are large and well-filled. I've been eating it every day, simply — boiled in unsalted water for four minutes, butter, salt — because simple is correct for this corn and this August. Carol came for Sunday dinner and I made nothing except corn, steamed, with the compound butter I'd been keeping for just this moment. She ate five ears. I ate four. We talked for three hours. Good Sunday.
Made the first tomato salad with mozzarella this week — the Caprese, simple and essential. This is the dish that requires perfect tomatoes and has nothing to hide behind, so you only make it when the tomatoes are genuinely ready. They're ready. I'll make it every other day until the season ends. Some preparations should only exist when they can exist at their best.
Teddy texted about sourdough again. He's been keeping a starter and he has questions. The questions are getting more sophisticated: not "how do I do this" but "why does this do that." That shift is significant. It means he's past following instructions and is starting to understand underlying principles. That's a different kind of cook.
The Caprese made me think about it again — that principle that some preparations only earn their place when the ingredients are genuinely at their peak. The strawberries at the farm stand this week had that same quality the tomatoes have right now: nothing to hide, nothing to apologize for. This salad came together the same way the corn dinner did with Carol, almost effortlessly, because when things are this good in August you mostly just need to get out of their way.
Strawberry Feta Tossed Salad
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 8 cups mixed salad greens or romaine, torn
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, and Dijon mustard until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust as needed.
- Toast the almonds. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the sliced almonds for 2—3 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Assemble the salad. In a large salad bowl, combine the greens, sliced strawberries, red onion, and toasted almonds. Toss gently to distribute evenly.
- Dress and finish. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss lightly to coat. Scatter the crumbled feta over the top. Serve immediately — this salad does not hold once dressed.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 148 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 11g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 195mg