National Salad Month                                  

Start with Greens!

Start your salad with some ​leafy ​greens as a base. This is a great way to pack in nutrients like B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, and many more [1]! Greens are in-season in Georgia in May – this includes things like arugula,​ cabbage,​ kale, lettuce, and spinach [2]. Pick your favorite or do a mix!

Choose your veggies!

You can mix and match any vegetables you like in your salad! These could be fresh, ​​​​frozen vegetables that have been cooked in advance, or canned – use what you like and what you have. Some vegetables that are in-season in Georgia in May are ​Vidalia onions​​, ​carrots, ​beets, ​radishes, ​broccoli, mushrooms, ​and​ sugar snap peas​ [2]. These could all be great choices to add to a salad! Try to make your salad colorful by adding a mix of fruits and vegetables. Different colors can mean different nutrients, so it’s great to get a good mix!

Dressing

Every salad needs a little dressing. Store-bought dressing can sometimes add a lot of ​salt, ​fat​,​ or added sugar, so it’s important to ​read the nutrition facts label ​when picking a dressing ​[3]​. Another option is to make your dressing at home! Checkout out ​UGA ​SNAP-Ed’s 2025 Recipe Calendar for two simple and easy salad dressing recipes. These are made with only a few ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry!

Optional Protein

If you’re serving this salad as a side-dish, you could stop after the greens, vegetables, and dressing, but if this salad is going to be served as an entree it might be good to add a protein source. This will make your salad more filling and satisfying! Some protein sources you could try are beans, chickpeas, chicken, ​shelled ​edamame​ (sometimes called mukimame)​, or ​any cooked meat​. ​​

Optional Toppings

If you really want to spice up your salad you can try adding extra optional toppings! This could include things like​ chopped fresh or dried herbs (for example: parsley, mint, cilantro),​ nuts and seeds, fruit, cheese, croutons, or cooked​ whole grains​ ​(for example: brown rice, whole wheat ​pasta​, barley, farro)​. Nuts and seeds add healthy fats which can help make your salad more filling. ​Georgia pecans, w​alnuts, ​s​livered almonds​, sunflower,​ and pumpkin seeds are all great choices. Have you ever thought about adding fruit to a salad? If not, you need to give it a try! Some fruits that are in-season in Georgia in May include blueberries, peaches, and strawberries [2]. Such a sweet and refreshing addition that also adds some extra nutrients to your salad!