Spring Mix Salad

I’ve been eating a lot more salad this week, for multiple reasons. It is already hot here in Florida, and cooking excessively in the kitchen over a hot stove just makes it miserable. In our home, I rarely do side vegetable dishes, because we enjoying eating a big salad before our main meal, and sometimes by the time I’m finished adding veggies and toppings, the salad is our meal. For more salad ideas try Vegan Greek Salad, Black-Eyed Peas Salad, Simple Quinoa Salad, and Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad. 

Spring Mix Salad

This refreshing spring mix salad is certainly an eye-pleaser, with all the vibrant colors, fresh vegetables, herbs, and flowers. The salad is such a delight to eat, and easy to prepare. Make the salad dressing ahead of time since it lasts for about a week in the refrigerator.

Here in Florida, my garden is blooming with lots of beautiful edible flowers, such as nasturtium, marigolds, lavender, and lots of herbs are flourishing. I couldn’t help but add them to my salad; the color, textures, and flavors are so delightful for springtime.

What Is In Spring Mix?

I love to eat spring mix salad since it has more variety than plain old romaine lettuce, which is my second choice. It usually has a mixture of baby romaine, baby mustard, red oak leaf, arugula, and other assorted varieties of greens. The greens are picked when they are young, meaning they are tender, delicate, and mild. 

What Flowers Are Edible?

• Rose
• Begonia
• Daylily 
• Dandelion
• Chive
• Pansy
• Squash
• Echinacea
• Garden Sorrel
• Hibiscus
• Impatiens

It is important to research and properly identify edible flowers, since there are toxic look-alike plants that can be mistaken for edible plants. It is good to be sure, so if you have doubts, ask an expert in your area, or you can get a good book from your local library or online, here are some:

1. Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide To Over 200 Natural Foods.
2. Identifying And Harvesting Edible And Medicinal Plants.
3. Adventures In Edible Plant Foraging: Finding, Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Native and Invasive Wild Plants.

There are also various smartphone apps for identifying plants, such as FlowerChecker, NatureGate, and quite a few more.

Edible Flowers In Florida

Some local varieties of flowers that I personally love having fresh and in season are:

• Nasturtiums
• Pansies
• Calendula
• Violet
• Squash
• Begonia
• Geranium
• Hibiscus
• Pineapple Guava
• Rose
• Yucca

and so so many more! This spring, for a cute farm-to-table kids’ project, grow an assortment of edible flowering plants in a plot or planter. You and your family can watch your flowering garden goes from seedling to plate. Try to get a good mixture of colors to take your plate’s aesthetics to the next level!

If you are in Florida, consult this list for edible flowers nearby: UF Gardening Solutions Edible Flowers. If not, check a local university’s agriculture department for a similar list.

What’s In Spring Mix Salad

• Spring Mix Salad
• Cherry Tomato
• Avocado
• Cucumber
• Beet
• Artichoke Heart
• Red Onion
• Olive
• Fresh Herbs
• Edible Flowers

How To Make Spring Mix Salad?

I usually rinse my store-bought salad mix, even though they have been triple washed, then drain in a colander. It is just my personal preference, so you can skip this step. You can add other herbs like parsley, mint, lovage, and purslane to the salad.

1. Place spring salad mix in a large bowl, top with tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, beet, artichoke heart, red onion, olive, fresh herbs (I added cilantro and basil), and edible flowers of your choice, (I added marigolds and nasturtium). 

How To Make Salad Dressing?

You can soak your cashews in water for about 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator if using a standard blender. You don’t need to soak your cashews if you are using a high-speed blender. 

Place cashews in the blender, add water, lemon juice, tahini, nutritional yeast flakes, garlic, and salt. Process until creamy. Add dressing to salad and toss to coat.

What Toppings Can You Add To Salad?

• Sunflower Seed
• Hemp Seed
• Corn
• Radish
• Peas
• Bell Pepper
• Chickpeas
• Pepitas
• Walnuts
• Pecans
• Marinated Tofu

Where To Buy Edible Flowers?

I have the best luck finding edible flowers for purchase at health food stores like Whole Foods or smaller local stores. Also check farmer’s markets for sure! If there aren’t any at the farmer’s market, ask the farmer when they will be in season for your area and if they know a source.

Where To Buy Spring Mix Greens?

I prefer to buy organic spring mix, which I have found at Publix, Kroger, Whole Foods, Sam’s Club, and Costco. Especially since spring mix is so delicate, I love buying it organic or if at all possible fresh from a farm or farmer’s market, so there are less chemicals on my spring mix greens.

Why Does Spring Mix Go Bad So Fast?

Because the greens that make up spring mix salad are not fully matured, they are also more fragile. This means that they bruise easier, and are more susceptible to heat.

They also need to be eaten soon after they are bought so that they won’t wilt. I’d recommend eating any salads you make immediately, or not adding in heavy toppings and any dressing until you are ready to eat it.

Can You Cook Spring Mix?

Yes, you can! If you have some spring mix you won’t be able to use in time, use it in place of spinach as a quick sautéed side dish. Since spring mix is delicate, don’t cook for as long as you would fully matured spinach. You only need a little bit of quick heat.

Here Are Some More Delicious Salad Recipes

• Thai Kale Salad
• Spinach Tofu Salad
• Avocado Tofu Salad
• Cucumber Avocado Salad
• Vegan Southwestern Salad

If you enjoyed this post and would love to see more, join me on Youtube, Instagram, Facebook & Twitter!

Get discounted copies of my cookbook here.

Also please leave a star rating ;-)

Need some encouragement on your Healthier Steps journey?

Join our Facebook groups, sharing lots of delicious vegan and gluten-free recipes, health tips, etc., from our members. Please join us and invite your friends to Gluten-Free and Vegan For Beginners and Vegan Recipes With Love.