From our Readers 'Raspberries'
By Lloyd Vivola, Censored News, June 1, 2026
Hello Friends:
Hello Friends:
June has arrived and so has the first wave of ripe raspberries in the Beech House garden in northeast Portland. Which always prompts me to recall...
Some 13 years ago, my fellow farmworker Anna and I were on our own for lunch. Anna was a college student who was visiting from central France. I agreed to make a salad to accompany our omelets. Anna gathered some farm-fresh eggs while I gathered some salad greens from the garden along with scallions and a bowl of raspberries. Back in the kitchen, I doled out an ample measure of raspberries in a smaller bowl, dripped in a little olive oil, and mixed until the ripe raspberries dissolved to form a base for the dressing. I then dribbled in some honey to enhance the sweetness, adding a pinch of salt and a pinch of cajon spices to counter the sugars ever so slightly. After preparing a salad from the lettuce greens, chopped scallions, and chopped store-bought avocados, I poured on the dressing and tossed. Anna was very impressed. But where did you learn to make this dressing? I just made it up, I confessed; I never ever made it before. Amazing, said Anna, laughing and adding: But this is so French, it is called salade sucree-salee, salad sweetened and salted. Well, le voila. There you have it. The garden spirits were paying friendly attention to the world around them and lending inspiration.
Recipes for many different salades-sucrees-salees can be found online.
Be well and enjoy.
Lloyd V.
Some 13 years ago, my fellow farmworker Anna and I were on our own for lunch. Anna was a college student who was visiting from central France. I agreed to make a salad to accompany our omelets. Anna gathered some farm-fresh eggs while I gathered some salad greens from the garden along with scallions and a bowl of raspberries. Back in the kitchen, I doled out an ample measure of raspberries in a smaller bowl, dripped in a little olive oil, and mixed until the ripe raspberries dissolved to form a base for the dressing. I then dribbled in some honey to enhance the sweetness, adding a pinch of salt and a pinch of cajon spices to counter the sugars ever so slightly. After preparing a salad from the lettuce greens, chopped scallions, and chopped store-bought avocados, I poured on the dressing and tossed. Anna was very impressed. But where did you learn to make this dressing? I just made it up, I confessed; I never ever made it before. Amazing, said Anna, laughing and adding: But this is so French, it is called salade sucree-salee, salad sweetened and salted. Well, le voila. There you have it. The garden spirits were paying friendly attention to the world around them and lending inspiration.
Recipes for many different salades-sucrees-salees can be found online.
Be well and enjoy.
Lloyd V.
