The end of summer is sweet, as in sweet and tart apples! The peck of early apples I picked up this weekend at the farmers’ market is the perfect match for the leafy mizuna in this week’s CSA share (or I’d venture to say in any salad!). I was pretty excited to see one of my favorite greens on this week’s harvest list and I tossed everything together into a sweet and tart salad with dried cranberries and a vinaigrette with local maple syrup. Dish this up on one of these hot nights we’re having – it will help you look forward to cooler air and crisper apples! 
This salad couldn’t be simpler to make, and if you have a young helper they can help you chop apples and shake the vinaigrette. Slice the apple into matchsticks with a bit of the peel left on each end, then toss with lemon juice to prevent browning. When prepping mizuna for salads I like to remove the thick, white stem and focus on the leaves. You can save the stems for a soup or stir-fry. If this is your first time eating mizuna this light tasting Asian green is versatile, here’s some more ideas to get you started! 
Early Apple Mizuna Salad
1 bunch mizuna, stems removed, and chopped into bite size pieces
1 apple, sliced into matchsticks (core and stem discarded)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
1/3 cup dried cranberries lemon juice for the apples
Dressing: 1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup 1 teaspoon dijon mustard pinch of salt
Place the apples in a small bowl and squeeze half a lemon over them. Toss the apples to coat. Combine the apples and mizuna in a large bowl. Place the dressing ingredients in a small jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake to combine. Toss the mizuna and apples with the dressing. Garnish with sunflower seeds and dried cranberries.
