Shoots are the nutritious baby greens of plants such as peas, sunflowers and radishes and are used for salad greens, sandwich toppers, and garnishes for soups and cooked dishes.  We grow them in rich organic compost for maximum flavor and nutrition.  They are crisp, tender and delicious.  We grow sunflower, pea and radish shoots all winter long on the farm.  The sunflower shoots deliver an earthy nutty flavor, the radish shoots add some spice, and the pea shoots are mild and delicious.  A great treat when there is little green to eat! Store in a sealed plastic bag in your crisper drawer for 3-4 days.

Roasted Beet, Shoot and Sprout Salad

Serve this salad with a slice of the focaccia on the side for a light lunch or dinner, or serve it as an accompaniment for a heartier meal. Serves 4.

1 TB apple cider or white wine vinegar
1 TB minced shallot (optional)
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 tsp sweet paprika
pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
1/8 tsp ground cumin
1 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 TB sunflower or extra virgin olive oil

4 small to medium roasted beets, chopped in 1/2 pieces*
2 cups mixed sunflower and radish shoots
1 cup sprouted beans
1/4 cup crumbled feta
1 TB toasted pine nuts

To make the dressing, combine the first 8 ingredients in a food processor. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. Toss together the beets, shoots, and sprouts. Sprinkle with cheese and pine nuts. Drizzle with desired amount of dressing.

*See instructions for roasting beets in the Storage & Use section at the top of the newsletter.

Valentine Radish and Shoot Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

Serve this salad alongside your pizza with Champlain Orchards Marinara and Kaas cheese.

4 valentine radishes shredded
2 carrots shredded
1 cup shredded red cabbage
2 cups shoots

Dressing:
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 TB mayonnaise
2 TB cider vinegar
2 TB minced shallot or onion
1 TB honey

1 cup sprouted beans

Toss first four ingredients in a bowl. Whisk together all dressing ingredients. Toss veggies with desired amount of dressing and garnish with sprouted beans.

Fingerling Potato Salad with Sherry-Mustard Vinaigrette

Serve atop sunflower and radish shoots with roasted potato and onion bread spread with Cowslem cheese on the side. Serves 4.

Vinaigrette
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Sherry wine vinegar
1/4 cup sunflower oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried, crumbled tarragon
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Potatoes
2 TB olive or sunflower oil
2 pounds fingerling potatoes, cut into 1 1/2 chunks
1 tsp kosher salt
2 1/4-inch-thick slices smoked bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick strips
1 small onion, chopped
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, chopped
2 cups shoots

Combine mustard and vinegar in small bowl. Whisk in oil, then herbs. Season with sea salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss potatoes with salt and oil. Spread out on a baking sheet and roast until edges begin to brown, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in medium skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Place warm potatoes in medium bowl. Add bacon, eggs, onions, and vinaigrette. Toss well and serve over shoots.

Shoot Salad with Chiffonade of Beet and Radish

Adapted from Epicurious.com. To make this a main course salad, sprinkle on cubed baked tofu and serve with squash cornbread. Serves 6 as a first course.

5 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
2 tsp minced shallot
salt and pepper to taste
6 tablespoons olive or sunflower oil
1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
1 pound beets, cooked, chilled, peeled, and grated coarse

2 cups coarsely grated daikon radish
4 cups shoots, rinsed well and spun dry

In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, shallot and salt and pepper to taste, add the oil in a stream, whisking, and whisk the dressing until it is emulsified. In a bowl toss the beets with one third of the dressing, in another bowl toss the radish with half the remaining dressing, and in a large bowl toss the shoots with the remaining dressing. Arrange the shoots, the beets, and the radish decoratively on 6 salad plates.

Parsnip, Shoot and Chevre Salad

There are so many excellent cooking blogs on the web these days. I find myself getting more and more ideas from these independent publishers. Today I found UK based Mostly Eating. It has a tasty sounding recipe for parsnip salad that I modified for today's newsletter. Serves 2.

2 small parsnips, peeled and julienned (or cut into very fine strips)
2 cups shoots
1 TB pine nuts
1.5 oz chevre

For the dressing:
2 TB sunflower oil
1 TB cider vinegar
1 tsp grain mustard
1 tsp minced shallot
2 tsp honey
pinch, dried crumbled thyme

Put the julienned parsnips and shoots together in a large bowl. Place a small pan over low heat. Put the pine nuts into a pan and toast over low heat until golden brown. Add the pine nuts to the other ingredients and finally add the crumbled goats cheese. Mix the dressing ingredients together with a fork. Pour dressing over salad and toss.