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Oaky Red Splash with Green Goddess Dressing
By Jeff Becker Photography by Joseph Burgess and Marty Snortum Studios
 For this harvest issue, it is important to understand why using lesser known varieties of plants and vegetables is good for us. In a world of genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) people like Gail Histen of the Greenhouse Café in Capitan and other organic farmers are single-handedly keeping alive ancient and evolving strains of plants. Genetically modified, or GMO, vegetables are manufactured (genetically) with the intent of making them easier and more profitable to grow. To this end, Monsanto and other big agribusinesses produce lettuces and other plants that are all alike. Taste, aesthetic, and other gastronomic concerns (like will this give me cancer or not?) have little weight in this process. Traditional farmers, however, fall back on the thousands of years of evolution that have gone into the seeds they sow and their produce often exhibits a level of individuality that is hard to find elsewhere. For the culinarian, this is important.
Without getting into the biodynamics of the process, the evolution of Oaky Red Splash is an example of what happens when humans use nature to develop new varieties of greens. Oaky Red Splash has leaves that are shaped like those of an oak (hence the name) with a bronze, reddish tint to them (the name, again). This lettuce was developed by the seed champion, Frank Morton of Wild Garden Seed. Morton and his family run the Shoulder to Shoulder farm in Oregon that has practiced seed-saving and adaptive selection to produce organic lettuce seeds. These seeds fit specific styles of land better and provide farmers with a wider selection of quality plants. These methods are the traditional solution to the quick fixes being sought through GMO, but they also produce new and interesting varieties of plants. With that, we can eat.
All greens featured in Great Greens are hydroponically grown at The Greenhouse Gardens, owned and operated by Tom and Gail Histen. For more information call (505) 354-0373.
Green Goddess dressing was created in the 1920s by a chef in San Francisco to honor George Arliss who was starring in a play entitled, “Green Goddess.” This dressing should go well with most salads, but it can also be used on fish or shellfish.
GREEN GODDESS DRESSING
Makes about 1 1/4 cups.
1 cup mayonnaise
2 anchovy fillets, minced or equivalent of anchovy paste
1 chopped green onion
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 tbsp tarragon vinegar
1 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
Salt and pepper
Pulse ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.
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