Broccoli Salad with Bacon

June in Vermont is the best month. I have always believed this. May is promising. July is established. August is abundance tipping toward its end. June is all of it arriving at once: the days long, the air cool enough at night to sleep under a quilt, the garden at that stage where everything is growing but nothing needs to be canned or preserved yet, and the light from five in the morning to nine at night, which is the kind of extravagance that makes February make sense. You are being paid back. June is the payback.

I have been making what Helen calls my summer salad dressing — shallots minced fine, good cider vinegar, a spoonful of the previous year's maple syrup, Dijon mustard, olive oil whisked in slowly. I make a jar of it at the beginning of June and it lives in the refrigerator for the month. Helen says this is the one thing in the kitchen she would not change, which is a high compliment from a woman who changes other things regularly and with excellent results.

Sarah called Sunday at her usual time. She mentioned that Ben, now five, has started reading books on his own — chapter books, not picture books. She said she found him at seven in the morning reading at the kitchen table, fully absorbed, and she stood in the doorway watching him for ten minutes before he noticed her. She said he looked like a small professor. I thought about that image for a long time after we hung up. A five-year-old at a kitchen table with a book at seven in the morning. Some things come to people early. The ones that come early usually stay.

Frost is sleeping on the porch in the evenings now, which is his summer position. The sugarhouse is quiet and locked for the season. The garden is growing. Vermont is paying back June in full. I have no complaints, which in Vermont is the same as saying everything is right.

The dressing Helen keeps in the refrigerator all June deserves a worthy companion, and this broccoli salad has been it for as long as I can remember — the crunch of fresh florets, the salt of good bacon, the sweet-tart balance that plays off the maple and cider vinegar I already have out on the counter. On a long June evening when the garden is growing and there’s nothing urgent yet to preserve or put up, this is the kind of thing you make without thinking too hard about it, which is exactly the kind of cooking June calls for.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

6 cups fresh broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces
8 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Cook the bacon. In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon strips until crisp, turning once, about 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, then crumble into pieces and set aside.
Prep the broccoli. Rinse broccoli under cold water and pat dry. Cut into small, uniform florets so every bite gets a good mix of ingredients.
Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and sugar until smooth and well combined. Taste and adjust sweetness or acidity as you like.
Combine the salad. In a large mixing bowl, add the broccoli florets, crumbled bacon, red onion, raisins, and sunflower seeds. Pour the dressing over the top and toss gently until everything is evenly coated.
Chill before serving. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving — this allows the flavors to come together and the broccoli to soften just slightly at the edges. The salad holds well for up to two days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Broccoli Salad with Bacon — The Dressing That Lives in the Refrigerator All June