Lulu Meyer gives us the weekly scoop on theFerry Plaza Farmers Market. Get shopping!

One of my favorite cookbooks to consult when I’m looking for great ideas about what to do with my farmers market loot is Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking. Besides being the mastermind behind this book, and writing the blog 101 Cookbooks, Heidi is also an avid market shopper and I often spot her there, picking up the best of the season and chatting with some of her favorite market sellers. Heidi demonstrated her recipe for Spring Sunshine Salad nearly five years ago in the CUESA kitchen but I’m sure it would be just as wonderful right now as it was back then. It’s a simple recipe composed of whatever salad greens look good to you, plus avocado, oranges, and toasted nuts tossed in a citrus-parmesan vinaigrette.

Here’s a list of some other great seasonal salad ingredients and where to find them this week:

Blood oranges – Hamada Farms
Beets and Beet greens- Dirty Girl Produce
Mizuna- Eatwell Farms
Apple Balsamic Vinegar- The Apple Farm
Baby artichokes- Iacopi Farms
Fennel- Chue’s Farm
Daikon sprouts- Brooks and Daughters Sprouts
Black Spanish radishes- Heirloom Organics
Watercress- Four Sisters Farm

For me, a good green salad is capable of greatness with a just few simple additions. There are so many great options at the market right now that it should be easy to break out of your salad rut. With a little imagination and a good vinaigrette recipe your salad can beautifully highlight the best of the season. Check out Heidi’s blog and the CUESA website for other seasonally inspired recipes.