I love the taste of spring bitter greens, tender lettuces and fresh, young garlic. It is such a welcome change from the same cured or dehydrated garlic flavor.

Green garlic is basically the young, uncured, not fully formed bulb garlic. The raw flavor is sweeter and less intense. I love to use it in anything and everything that calls for garlic. I use about 3-4 inches from the root up the stalk. The unused portion can be added to a vegetarian or chicken stock pot.

The typical Green Goddess dressing consists of lots of fresh herbs — an abundance of tarragon, sour cream or mayonnaise, and anchovy paste. It was the “it” vegetable dip in the 1970-80s. I thought I’d try the tasty green garlic in my own version of a Green Goddess dressing.

We don’t have anchovy paste in the Farm Market and not all fresh herbs are in season quite yet, so I used what we had. We had fresh chives, oregano, parsley, and thyme. I found dried mint and a bit of tarragon in the Kitchen pantry. Stop in the Market this week and we will help you select some of these ingredients.

The recipe below should serve more as a guideline instead of an exact recipe. Ratios and amounts of herbs are not set in stone — make it your own and taste as you go. I don’t really care for a lot of tarragon, so I add quite a bit less than a usual Goddess Dressing would call for. Use what you have in your fridge, garden or pantry and don’t be afraid to improvise.

While demoing this recipe in the 21 Acres Farm Market I had two people at separate times tell me, “Wow, if vegetables tasted like this, I would eat them all the time.” Now that is a true complement. I am always trying to find ways for people to gain an appreciation for fresh, local organic produce. I hope you enjoy this as much as they did.

— Meghan

Green Garlic Goddess Dressing Recipe

1 bulb green garlic, chopped

1 T chopped chives

1 t each- fresh oregano and thyme finely chopped

1/8 cup chopped parsley

½ t dried mint

3-4 dried leaves of tarragon

2 T mayonnaise

3 T camelina oil

3 T safflower oil

2-3 T apple cider vinegar

1-2 t tamari or soy sauce

Good pinch freshly ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender, pulse for 20 seconds. Taste. Adjust oil, vinegar or tamari to taste. Serve. Keep a jar in the fridge for up to one week.