Recommended types of salad vegetables?

[LizD518]

Some recipes may specifically call for it; then, it simply becomes an issue of aesthetics.

I usually don't.

 

I don't core the Persian / English cucumbers unless I really want to eliminate the seeds for some reason (like a garnish for gazpacho or something similar). But if I'm making a salad that might sit around a bit and using cukes with a lot of seeds then I might do so.

[SobaAddict70]

An underlying issue is food loss.

Most people will toss the seeds without another thought.

From my perspective, that's wasteful. Strain the seeds and use the resulting juice in a cucumber tonic, or as part of a vegetable broth. Rather than tossing the seeds in the trash, put them in your compost bin.

Edited August 18, 2014 by SobaAddict70 (log)

[NewFoodie]

Is it that you prefer the tartness of most green (cured before ripe) olives? I ask because there are also green ripe olives that to me have a wonderful, buttery flavor that's nothing like the green Spanish-style (what you'd put in a martini) olives or the garlicky hot Tuscan olives we can get in our grocery stores. Similarly, there's a huge difference in flavor between salt-cured Moroccan black olives, kalamata olives and standard black ripe olives. So when you say you prefer green olives, it would help to know whether it's something about the flavor, or you just don't like black. ;-) I've had some very nice purplish olives that, as I recall, had a nice mellow flavor. If I can find a jar I'll tell you their variety; I think Paula Wolfert recommended them for Moroccan tagines.

 

Frankly, all I know is that, so far, I've bought both green and black olives at the supermarket, varieties / cultivars unknown.  I liked them both, but I preferred the flavor of the green ones, and that had nothing to do with the color.

[FauxPas]

Frankly, all I know is that, so far, I've bought both green and black olives at the supermarket, varieties / cultivars unknown.  I liked them both, but I preferred the flavor of the green ones, and that had nothing to do with the color.

 

I love Cerignola olives - you can buy them green, ripened green or black. The ripened green (if that is the right term!) ones are my faves. Like Smithy said, these ones are quite different from the truly green ones, but have a lovely taste. I think they are pretty widely available, also. 

 

http://www.cerignolaolives.net/

[NewFoodie]

I love Cerignola olives - you can buy them green, ripened green or black. The ripened green (if that is the right term!) ones are my faves. Like Smithy said, these ones are quite different from the truly green ones, but have a lovely taste. I think they are pretty widely available, also. 

 

http://www.cerignolaolives.net/

 

I see online that Cerignola olives are very large; with a texture that's meaty, semi-firm, "crisp to the bite", and "yielding"; and a flavor that's slightly sweet, mild and buttery; and a color when ripe that can be black, red or green (although the Bella di Cerignola variant is actually dyed bright red).

 

I'll look for these, but as I don't live in a large city, there aren't a lot of specialty stores around here...