Salad Greens
Cookstown Greens’ Baby Salad Greens contains about 35 different ingredients which change through the year to take advantage of fast growing Springs, hot and dry Summers, cool and frosty Falls, and low-light Winter greenhouse conditions. But the overall appearance, textures, and flavor remains constant. These are all grown in deep organic mineral soil and harvested young to avoid excessive bitterness and toughness.
The main leaves are a dozen different lettuces, mostly heirlooms, with some new varieties chosen for taste, aroma, color, shape, and texture. Notable are Crisp Mint Romaine for crunchy sweetness, Green Oak Leaf for milky fragrance, Merlot Batavian for deep burgundy color, Freckles Butterhead for eye-catching red speckles on a pale green background, and Revolution Lollo Roso for double-red frilly edges. Eight different brassicas add creamy rich flavor with interesting shapes and textures. Notable are shiny round Tat Soi leaves, deeply cut frosty Russian Kale, spiky Green Mizuna, ornamental Red Mizuna, and mildly spicy frilly Fordhook Mustard (with a heat that gradually builds). Other attractive greens (which provide a sudden heat that soon fades) are curly Peppercress, wavy Persian Cress, and nutty Arugulas in both the traditional flat lobed variety and a stunning deeply cut “wild” version. For added creamy rich flavor we mix in heirloom savoyed Bloomsdale Spinach, purple-leaved Bullsblood Beets, Golden Chard and Crimson Chard.
For a totally full flavour we add to this base some salty burgundy Orach, sweet yellow Popcorn shoots, sour French Sorrel, buttery Fava Leaves, alliaceous Onion seedlings, and the one we are asked about the most, licoricy-minty Anise Hyssop. These actually preclude the need for any dressing. For more visual interest we incorporate lance-shaped Buckhorn Plantain, white Radish seedlings, red Buckwheat seedlings, and curly Pea Tendrils. For a taste of seasonal wildness we may incorporate some wild Lamb’s Quarters, Pig Weed or Chickweed. To insure a “WOW”, we add garnishes such as White Peacock Kale, dark Bronze Fennel fronds, pleasantly scented orange and red Marigold petals, blue and pink Bachelor Button petals, and happy-faced Violas.
Our Artisanal Methods:
In 1988, as we decided to grow and prepare a premium Salading blend, we studied how the Elizabethans selected their Salats, which leaves the Italians put into their Saladisi, what might be included in a French Mesclun, and the Edible Flowers preferred by the Victorians. These were all last-minute “kitchen garden” preparations so shelf-life had never been an issue. We incorporated as many traditional ingredients as would work; but we did have to utilize some newer varieties with longer shelf-life. Thus was born Cookstown Greens’ Baby Salad Greens.
We rotate our salad gardens with plough-down cover crops to maintain organic matter for even moisture control and adequate (but never excessive) fertility. (No animal manures, fertilizers or pesticides are used.) This way each leafy green exhibits its optimal flavour. They are not too watery and bland from surplus fertility; and not too tough and bitter from too much stress. As in times past, we hand-harvest one leaf at a time. These are promptly washed in 4 changes of purified water, quickly spun dry, and then further dried in the refrigerator. We then package them in air-tight bags and make sure they stay just above freezing until delivery to our chefs the following morning. A two-week shelf-life is typical.
One additional aspect of our artisanal methods is that we share our methods with other producers at conference workshops, magazine articles, farm tours, and private consulting.
For all these reasons Cookstown Baby Salad Greens are seen on the menu of many of Southern Ontario’s most acclaimed restaurants.
