Putting down roots

Salad of Purple Cherokee, Green Zebra, & Roasted Peppers

I'm a slow learner. I can live with that, provided the  emphasis ends up on the noun rather than its descriptor, at least in the main. You might think that slow learners would also be gradual learners, that the rate at which we assimilate knowledge might be in some sense proportional to the time it takes for the process to complete. You might think that, but you would be wrong, as I just learned from the tomato plant.

Figs, figs, figs, Part II: Salad of fresh figs with posciutto, goat's milk cheddar, and herbs from the garden.

Inspired by the urgent need to do something with the early-season fig crop, I tried a salad:

1. Cut a few figs into shapes and drizzle with olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar, just enough to provide acidic balance.
2. Drape prosciutto (a sweet San Danielle would be great, but a saltier Serrano might kick even more ass) judiciously over the figs and sprinkle with a finely grated goat's milk cheese (we have wonderful goat dairies all along the North Coast; I used Redwood Hill Cheddar), taking care to keep the flesh and skin of the figs in view as much as possible. At this stage, a little fleur de sel to bring up the seasoning wouldn't hurt.
3. Garnish with whatever herbs you have to hand - I find basil to be exceptional with the sweet-salty combination of fruit, meat and cheese, a small bit of thyme was nice, but sage was overpowering (I love sage, but it so often is). I finished it with fresh lavender, because we grow it ourselves, it makes for great color contrast, and really, what's more seasonal in summer than fresh lavender from your own garden?