Creamy Garlic and Herb Dip

May 19

We grow herbs. LOTS of herbs! We send them out each week in our CSA and bring them to market. Herbs pack a big punch, both on flavor and nutritional levels. When you get to know them, they can enhance each and every dish you make, adding beauty, complexity, and personal touch.

Every year, we get the question from our CSA members and market customers: “The herbs are beautiful, but what do I do with them?” We could probably write a book (and many have been written) in response to this question. However, for people just starting out with herbs in the kitchen, I stick to one tried-and-true answer that pleases the palates of adults and children alike. And even I was initially hesitant to make it myself!

I used to have an attitude about ranch dressing. Hidden Valley gave it a bad rep by adding all kinds of preservatives, vegetable oils, and vague “flavorings”. In grade school, I was taught that a salad loaded up with ranch is “just as bad” as a cheeseburger. Of course, these kinds of overly-simplistic food comparisons are short-sighted. Food is more than a calorie count, and even more than the quantified macronutrients on a nutrition facts label. But it took a group of children who I had the pleasure of leading in a farmer training program back in 2017 to help me realize that if it’s not delicious, then it’s not nutritious! Because if you don’t eat it, it won’t nourish you.

This group of young farmers would meet in the garden twice a week, and we spent a good chunk of our time preparing a meal from what we grew. Salad was always a component, and while I made my best miso-garlic-ginger vinaigrette at home to share, each week the students would ask for ranch anyway.

I decided it was time to figure out how to do ranch in a way that would meet them where they’re at and make good nutritional sense at the same time. Since then, I’ve been making variations of this dressing regularly and enjoying it so much more often and in more ways than the vinaigrette! It’s not an identical match to the HV brand, but I promise you, it’s better. You won’t have wasted herbs left to wilt in the fridge with this recipe on deck. It’s like a magic trick to make your salad veggies and fresh herbs disappear into your belly. I’m writing this recipe to incorporate a variety of different herbs you can use depending on what’s available. You can easily include wild edibles too, like garlic mustard, dandelion, wild onions, etc. Don’t be afraid to switch it up. You’ll be licking the bowl by the end!