Fall Harvest Salad*Back at the farm

A perfect combo of everything fall! You’ll want to eat all season long. 

It’s hard to believe it’s November and will soon be Thanksgiving! My heart is bursting for all the fall colors. Our fall weather has been a bit off and on this year, bouncing between hot 90 degree days to chilly windy rainy days. But the days where I’ve woken up to that autumn chill in the air have been wonderful. And regardless of the weather, we’ve been lighting the fireplace almost every night which definitely gives me that fall cozy feeling.

A couple weeks ago it was a gorgeous fall weekend and we went back to Gabriel Farm in hopes of doing a little pumpkin patchin’. We had visited the farm for apple pickin‘ in September and I absolutely fell in love with its idealistic setting. This time we saw a lot of families visiting just for family photos. So if you’re looking for a new locale for holiday cards in the Bay area, try it out!

I also chose Gabriel Farm because I was looking for a serene pumpkin patch environment this year. Don’t get me wrong. I love the pumpkin patches that have the petting zoo, the corn maze, the hay rides, etc. But my toddler gets a bit distracted from the simple activity of picking pumpkins. And sometimes it’s nice to have a little less overload in our lives. November is also a busy month for us. We are so excited to be hosting Thanksgiving this year, but we also have to travel this month for work and a very good friend’s wedding. So a nice leisurely stroll around a mellow family farm sounded perfect.

Unfortunately, I didn’t read the fine print and we realized upon arrival, that Gabriel Farm had just a wee patch. Their farm mostly focuses tree fruits, berries, and flowers.  Luckily, while the pumpkins were few, their gorgeous persimmons were many! So our pumpkin patchin’ turned into persimmon pickin’.

Our son totally got into it, finding the most perfect of perfect orange ones and biting into them like apples. My hubby and I got into to it too. I climbed up on his shoulders (in a very uncoordinated way I might add) to grab the ripest ones at the top of the trees (shortly before almost falling over..haha..so much older than we once were).

During our previous apple picking visit, we took home more apples than we could handle. So we were a little bit tentative during our persimmon sesh. But in hindsight, we should have picked so much more! I had big plans to make chutney, pancakes, etc. But our son has been eating them like apples…even more than apples. I was finally able to hide one persimmon away and so I threw it into a salad with some of my other favorite fall ingredients.

This salad follows my six guiding principles for salad-making.

1. Throw it all in! When making a salad, I usually find myself emptying my fridge of all the fresh fruits and veggies.

2.Crunch! I am a texture gal, so I love throwing in nuts or seeds.

3. Cheese! Some of my favorite cheese in salads are bleu, gorgonzola, cotija, goat, and parmesan.

4. Fresh Herbs! I like to throw fresh herbs in every salad; such a simple way to add another layer of flavor.

5. Some warm, some cold! I love the combination of some roasted or grilled ingredients incorporated with fresh. For example, I love a salad with warm roasted veggies combined with greens and goat cheese.

6. Simple light dressing! On occasion, I can go for a gorgonzola or bleu cheese dressing. But my favorites are usually very few ingredients and just highlight the fresh ingredients already incorporated.

Because of the color, this salad is a great show-stopper for a potluck. And because it’s packed with all the good stuff, it makes a hearty weeknight dinner.

Enjoy friends!!