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Recipes for the School Garden

FAll harvest salad with
​apple cider vinaigrette

Celebrate walnuts with this school garden friendly recipe created by chef/writer Nina Anakar! 

Enjoy the flavors of the season with our Fall Harvest Salad featuring a delightful mix of arugula, grapes, walnuts, and pomegranates, dressed in a tantalizing Apple Cider Vinaigrette – a symphony of textures and tastes in every bite!

Recipe-

Harvest: arugula, grapes, walnuts, pomegranates (or other fall fruit!), sunflower seeds, mint, parsley, chive, edible flowers
  • 12 Servings


Supplies
  • Large Colander
  • Cutting board & Knives
  • Mason Jar
  • Mixing bowls
  • Plates, forks and napkins for serving
Ingredients
  • 14 cups/3.5 Quarts arugula (or other tender garden lettuce)
  • 6 small-medium fall fruits, sliced (apples, pears, or fuyu persimmon) or 1 bunch grapes, halved
  • 1 large pomegranate, arils removed (optional)
  • 1 bunch garden herbs and/ or flowers (basil, mint, parsley, marigold, nasturtium, sunflower or calendula)
  • 1 bunch chives or scallions
  • 1.5 cups sunflower seeds, walnuts or pecans
For Vinaigrette:
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp pomegranate molasses (optional)
  • ¾ cup olive oil, grapeseed oil or avocado oil
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • salt and pepper, to taste (start with 2 generous pinches)
Directions
  • Wash the harvest first in colanders and dry it well with clean dish towels.
  • Prepare the dressing by shaking all of the ingredients together in a sealed mason jar. Season with salt, pepper or more honey to taste.
  • To process the pomegranate: cut it in half straight down the middle with a sharp knife, then, over a large bowl or cambro, break halves in to quarters, and pull out the seeds by hand. If there is a lot of pith (white skin) in the bowl with the arils, fill the bowl with cold water. The white pith will float to the top and can be removed. Then drain the arils (have students taste them!) and set aside to serve.
  • Add the lettuce, herbs and fall fruit together in a large mixing bowl. Add sunflower seeds and pomegranate arils last, then half of the dressing in the jar and toss the salad. Be gentle with the sliced fruit and herbs as they will bruise easily if over mixed.
  • Taste a piece of dressed lettuce, and add more dressing or salt to taste if desired.
  • If using edible flowers, add them at the end because they are delicate~ or each student could add their own edible flowers. Serve on plates with forks and napkins.


Notes
  • Omit seeds, nuts if you have an allergy. If you have a skillet or toaster oven on hand, you can toast the nuts.
  • The general ratio for vinaigrette is 1 part vinegar, 3 parts oil and then season to taste.
  • Also good with goat cheese or cheddar
  • A bowl that is wide enough to catch the arils helps prevent a mess! Dried cranberries can also be substituted for pomegranate arils.
  • Pomegranate molasses is a syrup reduction of pomegranate juice that has a tart-sweet flavor. It was developed in the ancient middle east as a way to preserve the pomegranate harvest. Apple cider vinegar is another ancient preserve made of the fall harvest.

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