Midsummer Salad Ring with Lemon Herb Vinaigrette (Edible Flowers + Summer Veggies)
Celebrate the beauty of summer with this stunning Midsummer Salad Ring—a vibrant and seasonal centerpiece that tastes as good as it looks. This fresh salad features crisp lettuce, sweet snap peas, fragrant fennel, sunny carrots, pink radishes, crunchy cucumbers, purple kohlrabi, aromatic garden herbs, and colorful edible flowers, all arranged in a festive midsummer wreath shape. Topped with a zesty lemon olive oil herb vinaigrette, this fresh plant-based dish is perfect for summer gatherings, solstice parties, or any warm-weather celebration. In fact, I think this salad is an impressive offering at bridal showers, weddings, and engagement parties! It’s vegan-friendly, gluten-free, easy to assemble, and sure to wow your guests with both flavor and presentation. Plus, you can customize the ingredients, such as vegetables, herbs and edible flowers, to what you have available.
Gardening in Sweden during Midsummer Season
Given my husband is Swedish, and I’ve spent 30 years getting to know this region’s lovely, rich traditions, I love to celebrate Swedish Midsummer (Midsommar), which is one of the most beloved and culturally significant holidays in the country—second only to Christmas. It’s a celebration of the summer solstice, marking the longest day of the year when the sun barely sets in many parts of Sweden. Swedes celebrate the return of summer, fertility, and nature’s abundance—a tradition with both pagan roots and folk customs. It’s especially meaningful in Sweden because of the long, dark winters. Midsummer is the time to rejoice in sunlight, flowers, and greenery. One of the key traditions in Swedish Midsummer is to raise and dance around the Maypole (majstång), which is a decorated pole with flowers and greenery raised in a village green or garden, and traditional ring dances and songs are performed around it, often by children and families. Girls wear flower crowns (blomsterkrans) in their hair, which are handmade from wildflowers and herbs—an old fertility symbol and a nod to nature. Many festive foods and drinks are served, which feature nature’s bounty during the summer season.
This Midsummer Salad Ring is a nod to the traditional wildflower and herb rings girls wear upon their heads during the Swedish Midsummer. With a lush canvas of green and red salad greens, the salad is dotted with color from pink radishes, orange carrots, pale fennel, purple kohlrabi, and spring green snap peas and cucumber. A touch of feathery fresh herbs of your choice, including fennel tops, mint, parsley, dill, and basil accent the salad ring. And colorful edible flowers of your liking, such as pansies, lavender, nasturtium, calendula, and sunflowers, decorate the surface of this drop-dead gorgeous salad. It’s all served with an easy lemon fresh herb olive oil vinaigrette, which can be placed in the center of the salad ring, if desired. Yummy, easy, and beautiful!
While you can use the vegetable, herb, and flower pairings I recommend here, feel free to think out of the box a bit. I feature purple kohlrabi, which is available in Sweden during the summer, as well as in the U.S. I find it in my local farmers market, but if you can’t find it, swap out shaved raw beets or red cabbage. Try different colors of carrots, such as yellow or purple. And swap out fresh asparagus or broccoli for the snow peas. It’s up to you! I like to use a mandolin to shave fennel, radishes, carrots, and kohlrabi in order to get thin slices. Don’t set it on the thinnest setting, as the vegetables can get so thin they don’t hold up well. If you don’t have a mandolin, slice thinly with a sharp knife. Include whatever fresh herb you have available or prefer. Since I always have my herb garden growing, I have lots to choose from, such as dill, parsley, cilantro, basil, mint, parsley, oregano, tarragon, and thyme. And I also grow my own edible flowers, such as pansies, lavender, calendula, roses, sunflowers, and nasturtium. You can even use the flowers from your herbs and vegetables, such as arugula, herb, squash, and radish flowers. Learn about edible flowers here. Try serving this salad in a large round platter. If you don’t have a large round platter, you can arrange a ring shape on a large rectangular or square platter or wood cutting board. While you don’t need to serve the salad dressing in a bowl in the middle of the ring, I like to arrange it in the center to preserve the daintiness of the salad (pre-dressing it may cause it to wilt). Plus, it helps maintain the shape of the salad ring.
Description
Celebrate the season with this Midsummer Salad Ring—fresh lettuce, snap peas, fennel, cucumber, carrots, kohlrabi, herbs, and edible flowers with lemon-herb vinaigrette. A summer showstopper!
Midsummer Salad Ring:
- 1 quart (4 cups) assorted torn tender red and green salad greens (i.e., red oak leaf lettuce, leafy green lettuce, butter lettuce, baby kale or spinach, little gem lettuce)
- 1 cup sliced fresh snap peas (about 1 inches)
- 5 pink radishes (try watermelon radishes, featured in the photos above), thinly sliced
- 1 small fennel bulb, thinly shaved, reserving ¼ cup chopped fennel fronds
- 2 small carrots, thinly sliced
- 2 purple kohlrabi bulbs, thinly sliced
- 1 medium cucumber, unpeeled, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh assorted chopped herbs (i.e., parsley, dill, mint, basil, cilantro, thyme, tarragon)
- ¼ cup fresh edible flowers (i.e., pansies, lavender, calendula, roses, sunflowers, nasturtium, herb and vegetable flowers; see below Notes for more information)
Lemon Herb Vinaigrette:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large lemon, juiced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon assorted fresh chopped herbs (i.e., parsley, dill, mint, basil, cilantro, thyme, tarragon)
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh assorted flower petals (i.e., pansies, lavender, calendula, roses, sunflowers, nasturtium, herb and vegetable flowers; see below Notes for more information)
- In a large bowl (about 3 quarts capacity), add salad greens, sliced snap peas, sliced pink radishes, sliced fennel bulb and chopped fennel fronds, sliced carrots, sliced kohlrabi, and chopped cucumber. (Try a mandolin to shave fennel, radishes, carrots, and kohlrabi to get thin slices. Don’t set it on the thinnest setting, as the vegetables may wilt.)
- Add chopped herbs and flowers (see Notes below).
- Gently toss and set aside.
- Prepare lemon herb vinaigrette by adding olive oil, lemon juice, herbs, edible flowers, salt, and pepper to a small dish. Whisk until smooth.
- Pour the salad dressing in a small bowl (clear or white works best) and place in the center of a large round serving platter (about 18-20 inches; see Notes below).
- Arrange the salad around the salad dressing bowl, heaping into a rounded ring shape.
- Serve immediately. May gently dress the salad right before serving, or let guests add dressing themselves. (You can omit the dressing bowl in the center and toss it into the salad right before serving, if desired; though the bowl helps the ring stay in shape.)
- Makes 8 servings (about 1 ½ cups each).
Notes
While you can use the vegetable, herb, and flower pairings I recommend here, feel free to swap them with other produce. Purple kohlrabi is available in Sweden and the U.S. in many local farmers market, but you can trade for shaved raw beets or red cabbage. Try fresh asparagus, broccoli, or different color carrots for a change.
Try a mandolin to shave fennel, radishes, carrots, and kohlrabi to get thin slices. Don’t set it on the thinnest setting, as the vegetables can be so thin that they don’t hold up well.
Include whatever fresh herb you have available or prefer.
Try a variety of edible flowers, such as pansies, and the petals of lavender, calendula, roses, sunflowers, and nasturtium. You can even use the flowers from your herbs and vegetables, such as arugula, herb, squash, and radish flowers. Learn about edible flowers here.
Try serving this salad in a large round platter (18-2-inches). If you don’t have a large round platter, you can arrange a ring shape on a large rectangular or square platter, or wood cutting board.
While you don’t need to serve the salad dressing in a bowl in the middle of the ring, doing so preserve the daintiness of the salad, which can wilt quickly when dressed. Plus, it helps maintain the shape of the salad ring.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ½ cups
- Calories: 74
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 1 g
Top 10 Beautiful Salads
Discover more of my favorite pretty salads here:
Beautiful Flower Salad with Rose Vinaigrette
Little Gem Pea Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Blood Orange Salad with Kale and Hazelnuts
Grilled Nectarine Salad with Citrus Ginger Dressing
Jewel Winter Salad with Pomegranates and Orange Vinaigrette
Creamy Purple Cauliflower Salad
Italian Chopped Salad
Sonoma Kale Salad with Red Grapes and Mushroom-Red Wine Vinaigrette
Nicoise Salad with Tofu
Roasted Tempeh Summer Salad
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