Flavors of Life Salad

Start by creating a cucumber ocean. The cucumbers you will be using are little but they are strong, they hold massive amounts of water and are not melted to softness by it. I used 12 baby cucumbers.

Add 1 head of fennel, diced. Be prepared for the possibility of having a long conversation with the cashier about fennel, sometimes they like to ask. Here is your reply:
“fennel is a bulb with a mild anise flavor and a texture somewhat similar to a less crisp version of celery. The bulb can be eaten raw in salads, used as a seasoning for cooking fish, or is delicious braised with a little balsamic vinegar. In 16th century Italy it was revered for its medicinal qualities, where it was often served to the Pope who suffered from gastrointestinal issues, which often accompany old age.” Then whisper “to help with his constipation..”

This is the point at which they begin frantically flipping through their list of produce numbers searching for fennel. They want to get rid of you. Calm their anxieties. Let them know you are here to help them. Say “..it might be listed under anise”

Add 2 cups chopped parsley remember the nights we used to play outside until it got dark, long past the point of needing to refuel. We were kept full by our unfaltering attention to each other and whatever game we happened to play. We would walk in the house tracking giant clots of bright green grass and dried mud, cursing the end of daylight.

Toss in some sweet peas and think of your little ones, and how they like to dive to the bottom of the pool to show you how strongly they swim. Their eyes are searching when they surface; they are trying to find you. See how their faces lift into a smile when their eyes have found the source of their affection. It propels them out of the water to smile so big. Watch as the peas bounce all around the counter top, rolling unpredictably in the freedom of their infancy.

Mix it together, watch as the parsley floats on water crisp cucumber inhaling new breath, chilling on the freshness of the dive.
Feed it some salt, just a little to replace what you lost while you were sliding around in the green grass outside.
Feed it some vinegar, 1 ½ Tbsp, to match the bitterness of the cashier at your encounter, choose white wine vinegar to offer your peace.
Feed it some sunflower oil, 3 Tbsp, and some lemon juice 1 Tbsp, to help deliver vitamins and energy to your little ones to help them grow.

Now let it all marinate until your loved ones come home to enjoy the flavors of life with you.

Christina's vote: "Much like a sunrise"