Many sad salads lurk in refrigerators at restaurants, or languish in the bins of the nearest Salad Toss counter at the deli, or cower inside taco shells or the latest fast food delivery contraption, waiting to depress the nearest eater. Leathery lettuce, alien tomatoes, and canned garnishes can create the impression that a salad is a poor substitute for food. As a powerful antidote to this dispiriting category, creating your own salad is a great way to connect with fresh ingredients. Along with a bit of bread and a glass of wine, it’s a delicious, light, and healthy supper.

A trip to your local farmer's market at this time of year can yield an awesome selection of herbs that have already been started in small pots or flats. These will not only look great planted in containers on your windowsill, fire escape, deck, stoop, or whatever, they can add delicious flavors and aromas to anything from pesto to pound cake throughout the summer, and most likely, well into the fall.

Matt and I bought a basket of pearl-sized red frost berries at the farmer’s market a few weeks ago. Never heard of frost berries? Neither had we.