Spinach, Berry, & Walnut Salad

 

Summer is at it's mid-point.  School will start up soon (end of July for my kids). My home will be a lot quieter, and a lot cleaner.

...I don't really want to talk about it.

Instead of dwelling on the impending school year, I want to focus on the fruits of the season:

BERRIES!!

Fresh, in-season berries make for a treat that's hard to beat. And while not the cheapest food item around, NOW is definitely the time to be enjoying their deliciousness and their prices, as fresh produce tends to be cheaper when it's in season. We love berries plain, as a topping on vanilla ice-cream, mixed in oatmeal and cereal, made into jams, and in salads...

...And we will eat them in a box,

And we will eat them with a fox,

And in a house,

And with a mouse,

And over here,

And over there,

We'll eat berries ANYWHERE!

You get the idea. We feel about berries the way "Sam-I-Am" feels about green eggs and ham.

When I was young, we used to make the long drive from Idaho to Des Moines, Washington (near Seattle) to visit my grandmother who lived in a beautiful home on the Puget Sound. I loved going there! 

One of the best things about that area is that blackberry bushes grow wild all over the place. And I'm talking HUGE, gorgeous, perfectly flavorful and juicy berries.

We would go on a short walk from my grandmothers house with plastic buckets/tupperware, and go to town picking wild berries, eating them, and making a sticky berry-stained mess of our fingers and faces. 

We'd bring them home, and my mom would proceed to bake them into the most delicious pies you've ever tasted. 

Mmmm... pie... I'll definitely have to post that in the future...

Back to this salad.

I feel a little silly posting this "recipe" because I don't feel it really qualifies as a recipe... more a concept. But definitely one that deserves recognition. 

There's no real measuring involved... though I'll give you some measurements below to use as a guideline, and really, the ingredients are subjective to what you have on hand.

I used fresh spinach, and an equal amount of blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. I shopped up a small handful of walnuts (not even toasted or candied... though you could toast/candy them if you wanted) and topped it with a lemon-poppyseed dressing I bought for myself with a coupon. I know... store-bought. For shame. But it's sooooo good!

My husband and kids eats it without dressing. Wierdos. (Just kidding.)

Although amazingly simple, this salad is a favorite in summer-time. 

So, enjoy those delicious berries before summer bids us farewell till next year!

Spinach, Berry, & Walnut Salad

Printable Version

*Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

9 oz. spinach

1/2 cup chopped strawberries

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup blackberries

1/2 raspberries

1/2 cup chopped walnuts 

*dress as desired (dressing, feta cheese, bleu cheese, etc. I used a lemon-poppyseed dressing)

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, toss the spinach. Top with berries and walnuts. Chill till ready to serve. Dress as desired, and serve immediately.