Not the garishly bright Crayola red and green, either… I’m talking deep crimson red and asparagus green and crisp white.  Mother Nature has created such gorgeous colors that no factory (even Crayola) can reproduce them.  So, in keeping with the color theme for the season, I’m offering up a salad that will wow your guests this holiday season.    Not only is it impressive in terms of appearance, it’s EASY FOR THE COOK!  Double bonus!

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably just now realizing that Christmas is a mere 12 days away (which is why my original title for this post was “Holy Shit!  It’s Christmas ALREADY?”)   You’ve heard the holiday muzak, you’ve seen the cookie platters in the office break room, and you’ve had a few Starbuck’s peppermint hot chocolates.  But it doesn’t really sink in until your kid says, “when are we putting up the Christmas tree?”

That means cleaning up all the junk that has accumulated and moving furniture to accomodate the new addition to the living room.  That means pine needles everywhere, and a vacuum bag that smells of balsam every time you turn it on over the course of the winter.  Which, I assure you, won’t be often.  That also means ridding The Boy’s bedroom and toy box of assorted games, parts and unidentifiable scraps, some of which haven’t been opened since LAST Christmas when he tore their wrapping off.

For us on the farm, markets are almost over (YAY!  ‘Cause it’s freakin’ COLD!), and we can catch up on all the things we’ve neglected throughout the summer and fall. It also means getting ready for the Holiday Open House (Sunday Dec 19).  I’ll be baking cookies and cakes this week so we can celebrate the season with a sweet bite or two.  It will be nice to get together with all our wonderful customers on such a grand and festive scale one more time before we settle in for the winter.  We’ll still have our ‘mini-markets’ until mid-February, though, so if you’re stopping by, BRING COFFEE.