It is the time of year to start thinking about fresh produce. You don’t have to have a large garden to have a “salad garden.” Short rows, or even large patio containers of your favorite salad ingredients, will add variety to your palate. Vegetables provide nutrients Different nutrients can be found in a variety of vegetables. Since garden seed packets aren’t labeled with nutritional information, see below for where you can find key nutrients. o Vitamins A and C – Spinach, cantaloupe and broccoli. Also greens like turnip, kale, collard greens and mustard. o Vitamin A – Carrots, sweet potatoes and winter squash. o Vitamin C – Tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, cauliflower and kohlrabi. o Fiber – Fresh vegetables and fruits are excellent sources of fiber. This is where green beans, peas, potatoes, corn and leaf lettuce come into play. Keep salad low-cal Vegetables are generally low-calorie until we add sauces and dressings in preparation. However, adaptations can be made to home-prepared dressings so they taste terrific and contain less oil and fewer calories. The trick to making low-calorie dressings is to substitute pectin – the kind jams and jellies are made with – for part or all of the oil. The pectin thickens the mixture to look and pour like dressing. For more about salads and making your own salad dressing visit
