Grandma's Garden - Arugula

Arugula is a dark green, peppery leaf that works equally well in salads or as a cooked green.  It is very high in Vitamin A and C.  Some Arugula has been planted in our small greenhouse and will be ready the end of April.  More will be planted in the next couple of weeks and again in the fall.  Our Arugula is non-gmo and grown organically.

Choosing Arugula

Look for dark greens leaves of a uniform color. Avoid yellowing leaves, damaged leaves, wilted leaves, or excessively moist-looking leaves. A bit of dirt is fine - it is likely the result of recent rain or watering (splashing dirt up onto the leaves)

Cleaning & Storing Arugula: Bunched arugula needs to have its tough stems removed and discarded before cleaning. Arugula is best cleaned in a large bowl or basin of cool water. Gently swish leaves in the water, letting any dirt fall to the bottom of the bowl. Lift clean leaves out of the water and transfer to a salad spinner or several layers of paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Dry in the spinner or by rolling in the towels. Transfer leaves to a layer or two of paper towels (or clean, dry ones if you dried the leaves with towels), gently roll them up, and store in a loosely closed plastic bag in the fridge. Arugula stored this way will last up to a week. Uncleaned leaves keep about 3 days.

Different Arugula Leaves For Different Recipes: Smaller arugula leaves tend to be milder, while larger leaves tend to have a more aggressive, peppery kick.

Grape Arugula Salad

Very High in Calcium!

Prep and Cook Time: 10 minutes Ingredients: 1 cup seedless green grapes 4 cups arugula 3 oz gorgonzola cheese (or just use Swiss) 2 TBS thinly sliced fresh fennel Dressing 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil 1 TBS fresh lemon juice salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Wash and dry grapes, arugula, and fennel in a salad spinner if you have one. Otherwise dry with paper towels so dressing is not diluted.
2. Arrange on plate with cheese and drizzle with dressing. Finish off with cracked black pepper.

Serves 4 

Chicken Caesar Salad

Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes Ingredients: 4 cups chopped mixed greens (spinach, romaine, arugula) 2 oz chicken or turkey slices 1 medium tomato, chopped or sliced 1/4 cup cucumbers, sliced 1/4 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced 1 cup or 1/2 can (BPA Free) kidney beans 1 TBS dried sunflower seeds Dressing 2 TBS fresh lemon juice 1/2 TBS extra virgin olive oil 1 clove garlic, pressed or chopped 1 TBS parmesan cheese

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and top with dressing.
Serves 1