This salad is all about procuring. What goes into your salad
depends on what you find at the farmer’s market, in your own
garden, or even in the fields near your home. The ingredients listed
are just a place to start. Use what you have and make sure you
taste everything, as Patterson does, before adding it to the bowl.
From there, it’s a simple matter of dressing it and seasoning it to
draw out the natural flavors.
A combination of 4 to 5 radishes (breakfast, black,
watermelon)
2 to 3 small white turnips
½ small fennel bulb, core removed
A combination of interesting greens (field sorrel, miner’s
lettuce, borage, chickweed)
Zest and juice of 1 Meyer lemon or regular lemon
Freshly ground black pepper
Rice wine vinegar
Good, freshly pressed olive oil
Kosher salt
Aged goat’s-milk cheese
Radish flowers (optional)
Wash all the vegetables and greens in a bowl of cold water,
scrubbing off any dirt. Dry them on a tray lined with paper towels
(this also allows you to set them out so you can study them
before you bring them together in the salad).