Spring Salad with Bibb Lettuce, Oranges, Herbs and Violets Recipe – Postcards from Paris
Do you remember the commercial with naturalist Euell Gibbons that began, “Ever eat a pine tree? Some parts are edible.”? I can’t remember exactly what product the commercial was hawking, but I do know that’s how it began. I could use a similar opening line for this post. “Ever eat a violet? “No,” you say? Well, I’m here to tell you that you can and you can eat other edible flowers as well.
I have a special place in my garden for violets because I love them so! This area is not sprayed with anything toxic and it is not fertilized. What grows in this special spot is totally natural, so I feel very good about serving these little purple lovelies on my salads in the springtime to surprise my family and friends when they come for Sunday supper.
There are many flowers that are edible. I bet that many of you have eaten squash blossoms, but did you know that you can snack on nasturtiums, pansies and roses? The first time I experienced flowers as an ingredient in a salad was when I lived in California. It’s a beautiful addition that I have added to salads ever since.
I was reminded of this salad while strolling in the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris and seeing violets peeking out from their long winter’s rest. Violets are some of the first flowers to greet the spring with their tiny faces turning toward the sun. Their sweet nectar is a perfect addition to tender leaves of Bibb lettuce, bright orange slices and delicate herbs.
As much as I love extra virgin olive oil, I find that it is too heavy for this salad, so I use grape seed oil instead. I also have lightened the flavor further by using champagne vinegar. Please remember that I use wild violets that have not been sprayed with insecticide or fertilizer.
Make it special, make it Sunday!
Spring Salad with Bibb Lettuce, Oranges, Herbs and Violets
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
A simple, pretty salad perfect for spring!
Ingredients:
For Salad:
2 heads of Bibb lettuce, washed and dried
1 orange, peeled with a knife and sliced into clean segments
A few dozen violets or other edible flowers such as nasturtiums or pansiesFor Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh herbs such as tarragon, thyme or marjoram, snipped
1/2 cup of grape seed oil
Salt and white pepper to tasteDirections:
In a small bowl whisk vinegar,orange juice, salt, pepper and herbs together, slowly add the grape seed oil while you continue to whisk.
Compose lettuce and orange slices on plates. Drizzle with vinaigrette and garnish with violets.
Enjoy!
In our hectic world, most of us can't commit to having dinner with our family/friends every night, but maybe we can start to put aside Sunday to be together and share our lives and good food. Let's join together to inspire others to celebrate our old traditions and create new ones. 
Judy@Savoring Today — Monday, April 23, 2012 @ 9:59 am
This looks beautiful, light, and delicious! Love the accents of the violets, it is always fun to add flowers to a meal.
Susie replied: — April 23rd, 2012 @ 2:26 pm
Thanks so much for your comment! People are so surprised by flowers in their salad, it’s always fun to see their faces filled with delight!
Deb — Monday, April 23, 2012 @ 7:00 pm
Adore the salad! Simple yet, delicious. The vibrant colors scream spring!
Susie replied: — April 25th, 2012 @ 12:16 am
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the post…thank you!
Kate — Thursday, April 26, 2012 @ 7:46 am
Love your post, love violets, and love Euell Gibbons! The commercial was for Grape-Nuts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XJMIu18I8Y
Susie replied: — April 26th, 2012 @ 9:40 am
Yes, Grape Nuts…thanks so much for jogging my memory! So glad you liked the post.
ann Segal — Saturday, May 19, 2012 @ 12:49 pm
beautiful
Sara — Friday, July 6, 2012 @ 5:10 am
This looks a fantastic recipe! I want to ask you if I can post some of your photos and recipes on my tumblr (breakfastideas.tumblr.com). Naturally, there’s your copyright and the recipe isn’t wrote on the tumblr, but there’s a link that opens the recipe on this site. (Sorry for my English, I’m Italian, if you want to see how I post, click on my tumblr url) Can I? If you don’t want, it’s ok. Have a beautiful day!
Simple and Nourishing Spring Salads — GNOWFGLINS — Tuesday, April 15, 2014 @ 11:15 am
[…] check out this wonderful example of using edible flowers in a salad, combining Bibb lettuce, oranges, herbs, and […]