I’m sure you’re familiar with a salad bar, but what about a salad jar? Okay, I made it up, so I don’t expect you to know what I’m talking about. Let me explain.
Last weekend, I really wanted a salad. I had romaine lettuce, celery, carrots, red bell pepper, almonds, blueberries, apples, and ingredients for multiple dressings on hand. Did I fix a salad? No. It seemed like too much trouble.
I needed to wash the lettuce, celery, carrots, pepper, blueberries and apples before I used them. I’d need to let them dry. Then I’d have to chop everything. And I wanted some protein on top. I had shredded chicken, but I was tired of it. By the time I mentally walked through the prep, I was weary of the whole idea. I ordered a salad.
Was that expensive? Yes. Was it better than what I would have made? No. But it wasn’t overwhelming.
There’s an easy way around such dilemmas – a salad jar. What’s that you may ask? It’s a jar filled with salad toppings that are ready to serve atop greens. If all I had to do was wash the lettuce then top it with several items that were already cleaned and chopped, the task would have seemed much more doable.
Carrots, celery, peppers, onion, jicama, cucumber, squash, asparagus, broccoli, and cauliflower can all be cleaned and chopped in advance. And they can be combined in a jar in proportions you find pleasing so that topping a salad is as simple as opening the jar.
In similar fashion, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries can be cleaned and jarred. You may want to slice the strawberries before combining with other berries if you’re going to use them in short order. Or clean and store a single type of berry. Prewashing the blueberries in my fridge would have made them more inviting.
Grape tomatoes require no slicing and can be washed before storing. Larger tomatoes can also be cleaned in advance even if you slice immediately before serving.
Toppings like nuts, seeds, toasted coconut, and dried fruit can be purchased ready to sprinkle on salad, but creating your own mix will ensure compatibility with specialized diets. I love a dried cranberry on a salad, but dried fruit is incompatible with a low histamine diet so many packaged salad toppers don’t work for me.
Clear storage jars allow me to see my salad toppers easily. They also stack well in my refrigerator and transfer well to the ice chest when I set out in my RV. I can use the same jars to store dressings mixed to compliment that week’s toppings.
You may argue that prep is prep and takes time. True. But there’s something about doing salad prep for more than a single salad when I’m cooking something else that makes it feel efficient and less cumbersome. And not every ingredient has to be put in a jar at the same time.
I can put a few chopped peppers in a jar when I’m prepping a sauté of peppers, squash, and onions. I might also capture a few slices of squash. The next day, I can add carrots while I’m preparing to roast a bunch or asparagus when I’m preparing some to steam. In other words, the salad prep doesn’t have to be a separate operation.
Some salad jars provide a good flavor combo for stir fry, frittatas, pasta prima vera, or pizza. Like any food prep, there’s fun in playing with new combinations.
At this moment when many of us feel overwhelmed, a salad jar is a simple solution with a variety of benefits. Try one!