Testing for a 'salad bar' I made a great 'blue' slaw. Testing various combinations.

I have 12 colors figured out, 6 are quick pickles. Two of each color. Two half sheet pans to make one long rectangle flag.

Very excited about the blue from red cabbage simmered, then 1/4 tsp of baking soda turns it blue. (any added acid like vinegar goes immediately back to pink.)

I've been making quick pickles for eons so most will be a cake walk.

Went car shopping yesterday, (Ugg, what a chore)...then stopped by TJ's. Completely renovated and a much different shopping experience since last visit a couple years ago... covered most of my list and they handed out free dozen roses in all rainbow colors. I chose orange, : )

I went to a Pride fundraiser for/at the Seattle Aquarium this week - called Aqueerium! So fun...at one food stand they had large pretzels with an assortment of dips/sauces in a rainbow of colors. Yellow mustard, chipotle red sauce, blue something - looked like maybe cream cheese (I didn't try it), green pesto, etc. Tasty and fun!

Look up tri-color cauliflower too... very pretty.

Love the cauliflowers and I am growing them Annie, trying any who, but a rough garden year....none at my markets yet.

Aqueerium, lol.

RED

Roasted red beet salad, with roasted garlic, red onion pickle.

Halved cherry tomato salad with tarragon.

PINK

Watermelon radish quick pickle, watermelon cubed fruit with mint.

ORANGE

Carrot pickles, turmeric marinated/pickled fennel, orange segments

YELLOW

Pickled golden beets, shallots, garlic, lemon slices and 8th's for squeezing

GREEN

Persian cukes, (quick pickle) roasted poblano, dill, limes

avocado in 1/4 slices, skins on...limes

Chunky tomatillo salsa....pickled jalapeño

BLUE

Herbed blue sauerkraut, with whatever turns blue marinated like daikon radish

PURPLE

Red cabbage fresh slaw w/ red onion, grated red beet....

(fresh box of quart wide mouth ball jars)

My party is July 5th so time for any additions I find at the farmers market and our favorite farm stand. My garden salad bed is prime right now, the only greens that bolted were the bok choys.

I'm not eating the blue slaw. I don't care if it's just baking soda, I'm not eating it. :D The rest of your pickles and veg look magnificent!! And delicious.

Coincidentally, I was testing a marzipan recipe for the Princess cake I'm making in August. I can't bear the idea of using commercial dye or bleached almond flour, so I made my own green food coloring paste by boiling down power greens. It's really green. :)

I grew the purple cauliflower last year, but it turns back to green when you cook it, so you'll want to serve it raw

I got the frozen tricolor cauliflower from trader joe's and it retained its colors even after cooking....

I was just at TJ's on Friday. I would have bought that but did not look at the frozen section. (I wonder how frozen fairs on a grill....not sure)

I'm not eating that blue cabbage either, lol. That was just a test. It won't look like that served. I'm using the juice and it will be a pale blue and still may not be so appetizing visually but it is symbolic. My friends will eat it. It will taste good any who.

Blue algae spirulina would be the best blue but I don't trust any overpriced 'fad' trendy product. Would have to be carefully sourced. Too many fakes and fillers out there.

Crazy food science. Both bowls were the same blue. A splash of vinegar knocked out the color in a split second.

For blue, I'd stick with blueberries....and bleu cheese...

I agree. I don’t recall the occasion, but some years ago I went for blue cabbage. Couldn’t turn it into anything that looked like something I’d like to eat.

I once had that thing happen where the onions or garlic turn turquoise in the pot, but I don't remember the science. There was a thread here about it. I don't know if the color could be preserved or transferred. It was very Brigit Jones soup, without the yarn.

I have no doubt your blue food will taste good, and agreed that a rainbow needs blue. Somehow, the lighter color sounds like it'll be less scary than your alkali cabbage! More like raspberry candy color, which is highly unnatural, but more like something to put in one's mouth.

Thanks for the pic with the post vinegar. Like a hydrangea plant with a penny. :)

I made another batch using up the rest of the older cabbage. A few quick tests. It shall be great. Watched a ytube gal that makes blue food, (why?)... It has been a thing here for a while using the blue algae in a breakfast bowl.

I made a buttermilk dressing, (I stock powdered), and just tried a Tbsp of Israeli couscous in the blue liquid, Both worked great, or 'fine'. : ). I used the dressing on my lunch mixed grains but will not do that for Friday. It will look intentional and not at all like a bleed that red beets can cause. The blue is just one small spoke in the menu wheel.

I have lots of colorful salad greens and micros. I predict a salad building competition. This is just 15 trays of 40. These grew too fast so I have started many more. The hot pink circled is amaranth.

Picked up my new car and took it for a spin to Ikea. 3 nice white square glossy trays for 1.99 each. And some junk... why I avoid the store, but it is 'start the car!' summer sale this week. (funny commercial)

I'm not eating any of those blue salads either. lol! What's wrong with a blueberry salad? :O)

I like a jello rainbow salad and it always goes over big with crowds. Big glass bowl, ROYGBIV jello colors layered appropriately. For each color you mix part of the hot jello with ice and part with sour cream, then float the sour cream layer on top of the base (clear) layer. It's really pretty. :)

Sleevendog, I'm growing amaranth for the first time this year and it is a very pretty color. I agree about the blue, I'd go for blueberries, which just seems intuitive. I can't think of a blue vegetable....

I think you could win a salad making contest, those microgreens look healthy and beautiful.

Annie

I'm sorry sleeve, but that first dish just up there looks really disgusting.!

Rainbow colored roses actually exist.

https://www.amazon.com/1000Pcs-Beautiful-Rainbow-Multi-colored-Flower/dp/B078TB2PTQ/ref=asc_df_B078TB2PTQ/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=242120314056&hvpos=1o5&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15907147096385830537&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9004223&hvtargid=pla-524169453000&psc=1

https://www.1800flowers.com/kaleidoscope-roses-140157?addisttype=g&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_8H19b-W4wIVkoqzCh09FgfpEAQYBCABEgLJIfD_BwE&cm_mmc=tagged--googleplarkg--na-_-na&r=googleplarkg&adcampaign=GSC-newengen+-+Flowers&catEntryId=412574627&adgroupid=63364638885&storeId=20051&adtype=pla&sku=140157MWC2&adid=140157MWC2

dcarch

Nice photoshopping skills....or not. Surprised people fall for such things. Or not surprised.

How it's done:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_rose

dcarch

Well, that is different than your first link. That is seed for sale and photoshopped.

We did the water bleed/soak in grade school. Completely different.

Sleevendog, on your greens that grew too fast, what do you think caused that?

I tried radish and peas and the radishes behaved exactly as expected, but the pea shoots looked like mini bamboo by the third day after they were up. Both were getting the same light and at the time I just figured it really was too hot here, but then that weekend at the green market the farm I buy eggs from had a superb tray of magazine-worthy pea shoots. We discussed it and his actually were in a hotter location (under shade cloth outdoors). The only other major difference was that they kept a fan on them.

Definitely photoshopped on that seed thing. No way in nature, including dye, that you'll get there. Hm.. Maybe if you inject each petal at the calyx...

But while I really am not a gardener, though I have dozens of rose bushes, I may be missing something. I thought hybrid teas had to be grown from grafts/clones to run true and that the seeds were crap shoots anyway...

Too funny about the unicorn effluent food trends!

sleevendog, I also remember the experiment in grade school where we put carnations and stalks of celery (why that combo I do not know) in vases of dyed water and watched them change color. We split the carnations stems into 3 or 4 and watched them turn rainbow in a few hours, so that's an old trick.

I agree, there's no such thing as seeds for rainbow colored roses and I cannot believe that anyone would fall for that. I do know that a local florist air brushes paint on roses to match oddly colored formal dresses and for wedding flowers and "dip dyes" others. They even have a sparkly paint type to "gild" roses. And probably lilies, LOL.

Annie

why that combo I do not know

We didn't do roses (too expensive, I would guess) but the reason for the celery is that you can see the capillary action as the dye moves up the stem through the "veins".

"I tried radish and peas and the radishes behaved exactly as expected, but the pea shoots looked like mini bamboo by the third day after they were up. Both were getting the same light and at the time I just figured it really was too hot here,..."

It is unpredictable this time of year with so much heat/humidity. In the winter downstairs is 60 and dry. My salad garden bed has shade frames so it is abundant/healthy. This is the last massive micro planting until September. I'll be keeping it simple growing pea, radish, sunflower. Maybe a forth one, random choice. Growing on a pantry shelf upstairs now. Darn LED is motion activated. The fast pea growing movement keeps shutting the light off. No, it does not have a manual setting. Bad purchase. My few back-up pea trays downstairs are doing much better.

Good crop for tomorrow's party but too much babysitting.

Thank you, sleevendog. Beautiful photo. How funny about the pea growth shutting off the light.