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Florida Cornucopia
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| by Chef Justin Timineri Florida's Culinary Ambassador |
Did you know Florida produces around 80 percent of the fresh vegetables grown in the United States during January, February and March of each year? It’s true—Florida is the nation’s winter salad bowl. From celery to citrus, and radishes to squash, winter is the best time to seek out the abundance of Florida fresh commodities to incorporate into your seasonal dishes.
While many of us commonly associate salads with summertime fare, the winter months are when lettuces are ready to be harvested. Coincidentally, winter is also the time when our bodies need extra vitamins to help keep us from getting those seasonal colds.
There are a wide variety of lettuces from Florida, and some of the most popular varieties include escarole, endive, romaine, curly parsley and Chinese cabbage. Lettuce is grown throughout the state and is available November through May. The months with the highest production are January and February.
When selecting lettuce to buy, the best indicator of freshness and good flavor is fragrance, not necessarily color, so use your nose, not just your eyes. Regardless of the variety, lettuces should be crisp and moist with little to no spots or bruising. The darker the lettuce leaves the higher the nutrient content.
Since lettuces are delicate, use care when transporting and storing. Lettuces fare best if kept cool and moist. As soon as you get home from the grocery store, go ahead and rinse your lettuce, even if you’re not ready to use it. Wrap the lettuce in paper towels, place it in a perforated plastic bag and refrigerate. Lettuce should be washed carefully before serving. Separate the leaves and check for grit or debris. Once the washing is done, dry the lettuce completely, dressing won’t stick well to wet leaves. (Plus, you don’t want your salad to be soggy.) A salad spinner makes drying lettuce really quick and easy, or you can just place the leaves in a colander and wait for them to drain.
FLORIDA WINTER LETTUCE WITH STRAWBERRIES, AVOCADO AND HONEY DRESSING
1 cup Florida strawberries, rinsed, dried, hulled and sliced
1 ripe Florida avocado, sliced
3 cups salad greens (arugula, romaine, leaf lettuce)
Toasted Florida pecans
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons natural Florida sugar
4 teaspoons Florida honey (tupelo, orange blossom)
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, olive oil, honey, vinegar and lemon juice. Taste vinaigrette for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper. Arrange the salad greens in a serving bowl or on individual plates and add slices of avocado and strawberries on top. Lightly drizzle dressing, to taste, and then top with toasted pecans. Serve as soon as salad is complete.
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