Salad Greens Grown With Regenerative Land Practices

One of my first jobs in the restaurant scene was the cold station or what is known as the pantry. I learned that the way you treat your greens at prep is just as important as how you plate them. Lettuce can be temperamental, stubborn and overly sensitive. You have to be delicate when slicing into the core, careful while pulling away the leaves, gentle when rinsing in a cold water bath and meticulous when drying every piece.

As a frequent market purchaser, I am very careful where we buy our greens for My Oven’s Meals. With so many options in Chico, there are two places that stand out the most.

Farmelot’s co-op growers sell beautiful greens

Farmelot in Vina is a co-op of growers who strive for the same goal: sustainable food, utilizing regenerative land practices on a vintage farm. They sell vibrant heirlooms and crisp cucumbers at the Chico Saturday Farmers Market, where you will find the most beautiful greens, from full heads to cut bags of their own mix, with colors that are truly one of a kind. It’s hard to just walk away with a single bag, and it’s no wonder Farmelot sells out during each market.

A passion and love for farming at Gold Roots

Another up and coming farm and market vendor is Gold Roots, a small-scale regenerative farm which grows all its products with organic methods. Owners Kevin White and Aimee Zarzynski have a passion and love for farming that began in Italy while they were volunteering with Willing Workers of Organic Farming. There they farmed organic homesteads from north to south Italy. “After farming in Italy we always dreamed of farming and managing land in the way that we value. We love sharing the produce that we grow with our community.” Aimee says.

Kevin White and Aimee Zarzynski at their Gold Roots Farm

At Gold Roots, Kevin and Aimee value the integrity of their produce and the techniques used, focusing on creating a bio-diverse, healthy ecosystem for our plants to thrive in and putting healthy soil and communities first. They believe that food should make you feel good and they aim to provide our community with produce that does just that.

Aimee says, “I love growing our salad mixes. We have a couple different blends that we rotate through and we are always adding more. Salad and leafy greens are quick growing crops so the gratification is quick and salad is such an easy way to get delicious vitamins into your meals. I also love growing basil because harvesting it is such a therapeutic activity. We usually harvest early in the morning as the sun is rising. The beautiful smell surrounds you as you harvest and the time spent is usually deeply reflective and satisfying.”

You can find them at the Saturday Chico Certified Famers Market and at their virtual farmstand. They also offer delivery or market day pick ups.

Greek Salmon Salad

4 servings

16 ounces salmon fillets, cut into four 4-ounce pieces
olive oil, as needed
kosher salt and black pepper, as needed
8 cups lettuce, romaine, spinach or kale
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 cup cucumber, diced, ¼-inch thick
½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup red bell pepper, diced, ¼-inch thick
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped

Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
¼ cup lemon juice, plus zest of one lemon
½ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 basil leaves, fresh
½ teaspoon dried oregano, or 1 teaspoon fresh
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked

Lightly season both sides of the salmon fillet with salt and pepper. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on both sides to coat.
Heat grill to medium high. Add a small amount of olive oil on a folded piece of paper towel, and carefully grease the grill grates.
Once the grill is nice and hot, add the salmon fillets. Cook uncovered for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side until flaky (about 130-140°F).
Remove the salmon from the grill and transfer to a clean plate, cover to keep warm. Remove the skin if still attached.

In a large bowl add lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, bell pepper, cheese, and walnuts. Set aside.

For the dressing, add lemon juice, zest, olive oil, mustard, honey, garlic, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper in a blender.
Blend until well combined and a slightly thick and opaque dressing is achieved, about 30 seconds. Add more salt and pepper as desired.

Toss salad with enough dressing to coat the ingredients. You will have extra dressing. Evenly divide mixture among four bowls and top each with a salmon fillet. Drizzle each salmon with more dressing if desired.

Lindsey King Photography