Salad in a mason jar? New trend comes to Lehigh
Joe Pearson
Want a fresh salad only this time in a Mason jar? That’s a new trend and it has caught on big in Lehigh Acres, thanks to Joe Pearson and his volunteers at his Mirror Lakes Community Gardens site.
Pearson who spearheaded the plantings of vegetables in a parcel of land offered to him by the Mirror Lakes Country Club Golf Course a year ago, said thanks to the many volunteers who have come out to the “gardens” and planted vegetables and shrubs and other things, the harvest has been good.
Pearson, a personal trainer and businessman, and volunteers have grown so much produce that they have given much of it to Lehigh Community Services where Rae Nicely and her staff passes it out on food give-away days.
On a flyer distributed by Pearson, he says the mission of Healthy Harvest Community is to educate and promote a clean and healthy lifestyle for everyone, regardless of economic limitations through “our Community Garden programs.”
And the latest now is the public can order salads in a Mason jar with a tight lid.
That’s right, this trendy way of preserving salads is a smart way to keep them fresh for several days in your refrigerator, Pearson says.
And you can pick up your jars of salad from Pearson by calling him at 239-938-4613. The cost of a really huge salad is $8.95 plus tax.
If you don’t want to pick up your salads, Pearson says he will deliver them free and he does it on his own time, which takes up a big portion of some days.
Pearson’s Healthy Harvest Community gardens are located at 670 Milwaukee Blvd. in Lehigh Acres, butting up to the Mirror Lakes Golf Club.
Not long ago, Pearson introduced the idea of planting gardens in a large parcel of land not being used by the golf club.
He stood in the midst of the land for The Lehigh Acres Citizen a year ago and said gardens were going to be planted by him and anyone in the community who wanted to help.
And help he got. Several organizations have taken over small plots of gardens in shapes boarded up by two by six foot boards. Volunteers pull the weeds during growing season and help to reap the harvest with most of it being given away. They come out and do the watering when needed.
But if you’ve ever planted a garden, you know that you get much more than you bargained for with a huge harvest.
Pearson believes in healthy eating and that spurned on his idea for the gardens which he is planning to start in other areas of Lee County Fort Myers for one.
Pearson doesn’t just throw in some green leaves or whatever for his Salads in a Mason jar. He has selected a variety of special salads and they are selling like hot cakes.
Just a few examples at first when he started the Mason Jar Salads were what he called “Billy Bob” Cobb Salad, which featured layered fresh thick bacon pieces, chunks of chicken breast, crumbled blue cheese, tomatoes, boiled egg, lettuce with a delicious light Ranch dressing.
Next came his Taco “Joe” Salad which featured layered lean beef, freshly grated five cheese blends, black beans, tomatoes, organic Tortilla chips, fresh organic lettuce with a side of southwestern Ranch dressing. One of the favorites was “Hail to the Chicken ‘Caesar’ Salad,” which features Romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese with homemade herb crushed croutons and chunks of chicken breast with a side of light Caesar dressing.
New ones are “What the Kale with Edamame, Carrot and Spinach Salad,” a combination of kale, spinach, carrots, sweet peppers, Edamame, shallot, Cilantro and basil with ginger vinaigrette dressing on the side.
And now there’s the “Greek Chickpea, Quinoa and Greens Salad, featuring Quinoa, chickpeas, onion, parsley, pumpkin seeds, olives, cranberries, and feta all topped with mixed greens for this ultra- healthy alternative and all this comes with a side of Greek dressing.
Pearson says that salads in a Mason jar save space in the fridge and it also reduces food waste and gets non-salad eaters to mow down daily.
“We arrange ingredients in a large Mason jar, so you can store them in the fridge up for a week.
“When ready to eat, shake the jar, place it on a plate and just enjoy. You can make any arrangement you want. Always remember we put the dressing at the bottom of the lettuce, a must for sure.
“As long as the dressing does not touch the greens this will stay fresh in the fridge for up to a week,” Pearson notes on a filer he has emailed to lots of locals.
He accepts four credit or debit cards and you can place an order by calling 239-938-4613. You can also go online at: HealthyHarvestFarms.org and order there, too.
“Our salads are becoming really popular,” Pearson says with a big smile on his face. “This is healthy eating and this is how you save a fresh salad by buying it in a Mason jar and saving it in the fridge. You can’t beat these salads, grown right here in Lehigh by lots of people who enjoy coming out here and tending the gardens.”
Salad in a mason jar? New trend comes to Lehigh
Joe Pearson
Want a fresh salad only this time in a Mason jar? That’s a new trend and it has caught on big in Lehigh Acres, thanks to Joe Pearson and his volunteers at his Mirror Lakes Community Gardens site.
Pearson who spearheaded the plantings of vegetables in a parcel of land offered to him by the Mirror Lakes Country Club Golf Course a year ago, said thanks to the many volunteers who have come out to the “gardens” and planted vegetables and shrubs and other things, the harvest has been good.
Pearson, a personal trainer and businessman, and volunteers have grown so much produce that they have given much of it to Lehigh Community Services where Rae Nicely and her staff passes it out on food give-away days.
On a flyer distributed by Pearson, he says the mission of Healthy Harvest Community is to educate and promote a clean and healthy lifestyle for everyone, regardless of economic limitations through “our Community Garden programs.”
And the latest now is the public can order salads in a Mason jar with a tight lid.
That’s right, this trendy way of preserving salads is a smart way to keep them fresh for several days in your refrigerator, Pearson says.
And you can pick up your jars of salad from Pearson by calling him at 239-938-4613. The cost of a really huge salad is $8.95 plus tax.
If you don’t want to pick up your salads, Pearson says he will deliver them free and he does it on his own time, which takes up a big portion of some days.
Pearson’s Healthy Harvest Community gardens are located at 670 Milwaukee Blvd. in Lehigh Acres, butting up to the Mirror Lakes Golf Club.
Not long ago, Pearson introduced the idea of planting gardens in a large parcel of land not being used by the golf club.
He stood in the midst of the land for The Lehigh Acres Citizen a year ago and said gardens were going to be planted by him and anyone in the community who wanted to help.
And help he got. Several organizations have taken over small plots of gardens in shapes boarded up by two by six foot boards. Volunteers pull the weeds during growing season and help to reap the harvest with most of it being given away. They come out and do the watering when needed.
But if you’ve ever planted a garden, you know that you get much more than you bargained for with a huge harvest.
Pearson believes in healthy eating and that spurned on his idea for the gardens which he is planning to start in other areas of Lee County Fort Myers for one.
Pearson doesn’t just throw in some green leaves or whatever for his Salads in a Mason jar. He has selected a variety of special salads and they are selling like hot cakes.
Just a few examples at first when he started the Mason Jar Salads were what he called “Billy Bob” Cobb Salad, which featured layered fresh thick bacon pieces, chunks of chicken breast, crumbled blue cheese, tomatoes, boiled egg, lettuce with a delicious light Ranch dressing.
Next came his Taco “Joe” Salad which featured layered lean beef, freshly grated five cheese blends, black beans, tomatoes, organic Tortilla chips, fresh organic lettuce with a side of southwestern Ranch dressing. One of the favorites was “Hail to the Chicken ‘Caesar’ Salad,” which features Romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese with homemade herb crushed croutons and chunks of chicken breast with a side of light Caesar dressing.
New ones are “What the Kale with Edamame, Carrot and Spinach Salad,” a combination of kale, spinach, carrots, sweet peppers, Edamame, shallot, Cilantro and basil with ginger vinaigrette dressing on the side.
And now there’s the “Greek Chickpea, Quinoa and Greens Salad, featuring Quinoa, chickpeas, onion, parsley, pumpkin seeds, olives, cranberries, and feta all topped with mixed greens for this ultra- healthy alternative and all this comes with a side of Greek dressing.
Pearson says that salads in a Mason jar save space in the fridge and it also reduces food waste and gets non-salad eaters to mow down daily.
“We arrange ingredients in a large Mason jar, so you can store them in the fridge up for a week.
“When ready to eat, shake the jar, place it on a plate and just enjoy. You can make any arrangement you want. Always remember we put the dressing at the bottom of the lettuce, a must for sure.
“As long as the dressing does not touch the greens this will stay fresh in the fridge for up to a week,” Pearson notes on a filer he has emailed to lots of locals.
He accepts four credit or debit cards and you can place an order by calling 239-938-4613. You can also go online at: HealthyHarvestFarms.org and order there, too.
“Our salads are becoming really popular,” Pearson says with a big smile on his face. “This is healthy eating and this is how you save a fresh salad by buying it in a Mason jar and saving it in the fridge. You can’t beat these salads, grown right here in Lehigh by lots of people who enjoy coming out here and tending the gardens.”
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