Dill is for more than just pickles. Try it in green salads, tuna or egg salads, as a pesto for fish or chicken, or in countless other ways. Photo by Jennifer Baldwin

By Michelle Beck

Dill

I enjoy planting dill, not only because the blossoms attract beneficial insects, like butterflies and lady bugs, but also because it is delicious. Dill is great cut into green salads, and makes a nice addition to tuna salad or egg salad. Dill also makes a nice pesto to use on fish or chicken. Carrot soup with dill pesto would be great as part of a spring lunch.

This alternate deviled egg recipe uses Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise and adds dill and capers for a twist on the ordinary party food. Here is a web page devoted to Greek recipes using dill, including salads, vegetable dishes, and meat courses.

Because dill goes so well with cucumbers, here is an easy refrigerator pickle recipe to try.

And because I can’t resist a good egg recipe, here is a dill-feta scramble in pita bread.

Lettuce

If the only lettuce you eat is iceberg, you are missing out. Our cool spring has extended the lettuce season, and many farmers at the Farmer’s Market, especially Tesch Farms, have a nice selection. Try green leaf, red leaf, romaine and butter lettuce. If you like a little bitter contrast to your lettuce, try arugula, mizuna or raddichio.

When I get home from the market, I usually soak my greens in a mixture of white vinegar and water, then drain them in my salad spinner. Some people use cloth bags for storage, and I have seen ventilated, zippered, plastic produce bags. I usually put a paper towel in with the lettuce to help it stay fresh longer.

Ginger chips

I have recently developed a fondness for crystalized ginger. I used to hate it, but the hot-sweet flavor has really grown on me. I noticed that The Ginger People make very small chips of crystallized ginger that can be added to recipes. I bought a can at Cost Plus and tossed a handful into a batch of my favorite gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. They were very good! They would also be good added to ginger cookies or gingersnaps. If you are also a ginger fanatic, you can visit The Ginger People here.

Gluten-free randomness

I bought some Hodson’s Mill gluten-free cookie mix at Winco the other day, and was disappointed by the dense texture and obvious gluten-free flavor. My favorite gluten-free cookie mix is still Betty Crocker’s.

I have not had great luck with gluten-free products lately, as I also bought some Food For Life gluten-free English muffins at Lassen’s. I found them dense and somewhat crumbly. I have been missing English muffins, and plan to try the Gluten-Free Goddess’s recipe. I have enjoyed her recipes in the past, and I’ll let you all know how they come out.

In happier news, the Gluten-Free Girl posted a recipe for puff pastry on her site. I am looking forward to trying it. I also bought some Udi’s pizza crust at Lassen’s, and it was great. It’s thin and crisp, and my family ate it with no complaint.

My wonderful former neighbor Karyn called the other day and told me that Amy’s frozen gluten-free macaroni and cheese is very good. Both Lassen’s and the Walmart Superstore carry it. Karyn said she takes it out of the package and puts it in a glass dish before microwaving it.

Karyn also said that www.celiac.com has an updated list of gluten ingredients. She mentioned that she recently ordered some Gluten-Free Mama Blend flour. The ingredient list looks promising, and I am anxious to hear how she likes it.

She also told me a wonderful story about Outback Restaurant. Outback is a good place for celiacs to eat, as they have many gluten-free items. Furthermore, Karyn told me that Outback’s manager, Lori Hart, wife of Mike Hart of Channel 23 News came out and personally assured Karyn that her food would be gluten-free. She shared other useful information and really made Karyn’s dinner experience wonderful. Bravo to Lori Hart and Outback!

Method laundry detergent

I really like Seventh Generation laundry detergent, but I discovered a new favorite last time I was at Target. Method laundry detergent is a natural detergent without all the weird stuff that is so toxic to our water. But the best part of it is its delivery system. It is super-concentrated, so the bottle is small, and it has a pump top. Four pumps into my washer and it’s ready to go – no measuring and no slimy cups. Brilliant idea for packaging!

Healthy lunch ideas

Hopefully, none of you aspire to be the mom who packed the lunch featured on the final episode of Jamie Oliver’s “Food Revolution.” The lunch consisted of two kinds of chips (for variety?) and a baggie of jelly beans. It was the most obviously awful lunch, but plenty more kids brought lunches of processed, high-sugar foods that probably seemed like a healthy choice to their parents. I almost never let my child buy lunch at school, because it is exactly what was featured on Jamie Oliver’s show: processed, microwaved, “edible, foodlike products” (to quote author Michael Pollan).

Deciding what to pack for lunch can be a challenge, though. Since school is almost out, I plan to do a column on healthy lunches in August. I have a “thing” for little containers, so I am having fun researching creative lunch ideas and containers. Look for the lunchbox column in August.

Meanwhile, the Bakersfield Express Book Club is reading Michael Pollan’s “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” this month and will be meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 29, to discuss the book. The meeting will be held at the artisan fair and farmer’s market at Caffeine Supreme, 2000 F Street. Mark your calendar!