HOME & GARDEN Miesculin salad for the eye and {TS FEATURED on the menus of many restaurants, Greengrocers and specialty food shops charze dearly fer it. And at's quickly become the rage among weight cousgious gourmands. tts origin is France and it's called mesculin. Mesculin is a simple mixture of very young, exttemely tender and mild-flavored salad greens. tossed with herbs aid a baste vinaigrette dressing. A feast for the eve and the figure ta behold, the greens can be grown both indoors and outdoors. A well-lit window sill) or table placed im ai sunny location are prime indoor spots, while outdoor patios and terraces can play host to several tubs, containers or planters. When the desired loca- tion is selected, plant the seeds in the best potting mix money can buy, sit back and let your mouth water as the mesculin grows. The ingredients of a classic mesculin salad are two varieties of loose-leaf or butterhead lettuce — either two greens or a red and a green — plus curly-leaved endive and chervil. Arugula, cress, mustard, chicory, mache and a host of other garden greens can be added to this mixture for a sharp- er-tasting salad. Some of the mouthwatering varieties of loose-leaf lettuce are Oakleaf, Salad Bowl, Black Seed- ed Simpson, Green Ice and Ruby. Among the butterhead lettuces are Dark Green Boston, Four Seasons, Deer Tongue and Bibb. The choice of containers for in- door salad growing is practically limitless -—- from decorative ce- ramic planters to plastic buckets to plain old coffee cans. Unglazed clay pots are preferred by many indoor gardeners. Whatever the material, the con- tainers must have a_ bottom drainage hole covered with a pot- tery shard, pebbles or other mate- rial to prevent the soil from escap- ing. Most varieties of mesculin salad greens can be planted separately in individual pots or tossed together in one large container. For that mass planting method, the con- tainer should be three feet fone. eight inches wide and no less than six inches, preferably cight inches deep: smaller planters will do just as weil. Depth is the hey for both large and small containers: greater sail depth reduces the chances of the delicate lettuce plants driving om too quickly. The ideal soil to use for grow. ing lettuce and other vegetables from seed indoors and outdoors is a@ packaged blend consisting of milled sphagnum peat moss, which encourages vigorous root grewth. tt should also contain perlite, composted bark, and a wetting agent, ail of which pro- mote vital aeration and water retention. Growing a mesculin salad re- quires no more talent and effort than it takes to plant and water the lettuce seeds according to the directions on the packets. Spacing should not be a problem since loose-leaf iettuces can take crowding in a container. They also grow quickly, averaging four to six weeks from seed to harvest. Harvesting can begin when the plants are about six inches tall. The best time to harvest is just before the salad is to be mixed. The preferred method is to cut the leaves evenly with kitchen scissors about % to one inch above the soil line. Water the stubs at regu- lar intervals and shortly a second growth will begin to sprout. A planting will yield three to four harvests. In France, a mesculin salad is served with a simple vinaigrette dressing: 6-8 Tbsp olive oil or salad oil 1-2 Tbsp red wine vinegar 4 Tsp dry mustard Ye Tsp sait Fresh ground pepper, to taste 1 Tbsp minced shallot Y Tsp dried basil or tarragon Combine the ingredients in a salad bow! or covered jar; whisk or shake until thoroughly blended. Adjust seasoning to taste. Add three cups of combined mesculin salad greens and toss lightly just before serving. Serves four. The practicality of growing Dogs walk where oxen trod From page 16 goes on along Wagg Creek it was actually named after a George Wagg, not the canine appendage. Wagg owned a flour, hay and feed store in Vancouver as well as a sizable chunk of land in North Vancouver, which stretched from the eastern side of the District of North Vancouver parking lot to the centre line of St. Georges Avenue. In fact, Wagg donated a drink- ing fountain ‘‘for man and beast” at the northwest corner of Lons- Ostnbutor PANAFAB CEDAR HOMES LTD. 14774 ~ 64th AVE., SURREY, B.C. V3S 1X6 dale and 29th Street. The proposed St. Kilda Heritage Footpath also skirts to the east of the boundary line of the district lot owned by Thomas Nye (which was granted to him by the BC government for service in the Boer War). Nye is considered to be the founder of the North Lonsdale area. Pallant remains hopeful that the footpath will be recognized as another heritage element in North Vancouver and will be used by both locals and tourists alike. DOUBLE 'S'CEDAR HOMES MANUFACTURER OF QUALITY CEDAR HOMES AND CABINS PREFABRICATED DO IT YOURSELF PACKAGES OR USE OUR ERECTION CREWS (604) 596-6737 FAX (604)591-9154 Gibsons, B.C. 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