A few years ago (way back before they were even known as Patchwork farmers) our growers used to run a competition to see who could come up with the tastiest dressing to perfectly complement the leaves they were harvesting. Sara, who later became our head grower, listed the winning recipes on her blog: http://growingtales.wordpress.com/category/dressings/. 

Leaves harvested in winter tend to be more bitter than summer varieties, so work well with a sweeter dressing.

Here are some of the best suggestions.

Sweet salad dressing for bitter leaves 

200ml extra virgin olive oil

100ml balsamic vinegar

Pinch of sea salt

Ground pepper

And, the secret ingredient: 1 tablespoon of maple syrup

Annie's delightful dressing

a splosh of balsamic vinegar

a double splosh of olive oil

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp blackcurrant & sloe jelly ("or any old jam, to be honest," said Annie)

Sean's winning recipe  

Local honey as a sweetener mixed with tahini, crushed garlic, a little chilli, salt, pepper, olive oil and lime juice.

Other recipes for sweeter dressings use orange or pineapple juice - or you could sweeten a salad by adding halved grapes or thinly sliced apple.