salad with borage cilantro flowers and lemon thyme flowers

I do not remember a lovelier spring here in Seattle. The sun has been shining most every day this last month and my children and I have been spending all of our free time playing outside. Hummingbirds, butterflies and bees in the borage, bachelor’s buttons and kale flower, the song of children’s laughter splashing water in the sparkling sun, the dog and cat pouncing on each other in the grass, sharing fresh lemonade and juicy watermelon with neighbors, laundry swaying on the line; the livin’ is definitely easy! The best part is that when my children are hungry, they will simply graze from the garden’s offerings……….chives, snow peas, baby carrots, spinach, arugula, raspberries, strawberries…….. and I can linger in my sweet-pea-scented garden zen just awhile longer before jumping up to to go make dinner. This particular salad was inspired by the summer solstice and the abundance of delicate little edible blossoms we were nibbling on the eve of the Super Honey Moon.

Solstice Summer Blossom Salad:

1 Cucumber, quartered & sliced (peeling optional)
1/2 cup of chopped raw beet greens
1 cup of chopped raw arugula
1 large carrot, shaved into ribbons with a peeler or grated, if you prefer
small handful of cilantro flowers to taste (I used around 10)
small handful of lemon thyme flowers to taste (again, I used around 10)

Dressing:

1/2 Tablespoon Organic Cold Pressed Hemp Oil
1 teaspoon (or more to taste) raw agave nectar
1 Tablespoon Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

Whisk the dressing well.

Garnish:

4+ Borage blossoms
2 teaspoons of chia seed

Don’t wash the blossoms, they are too delicate. Gently toss your summer salad together, add the dressing, toss some more and garnish with your pretty blossoms and a loving sprinkle of Chia seeds. Serve immediately and enjoy the refreshing taste of summer. We have arrived, friends!