Fresh Herb Dip with Market Vegetables

This is the kind of thing you make when you’ve bought too many herbs at the farmers market and need to use them up before they wilt. It takes 5 minutes, tastes far better than any store-bought dip, and works with whatever vegetables are looking good — radishes, cucumber, snap peas, carrots, cherry tomatoes. It’s also a great reason to buy that big bunch of parsley or dill you always walk past.

Ingredients

Dip:

• 1 cup sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt for a lighter version)
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup fresh herbs, finely chopped — use a mix of any of the following:
  • Parsley (the backbone — use at least half parsley)
  • Chives or scallion tops
  • Dill
  • Basil
  • Mint (just a little — it’s strong)
• 1 small clove garlic, finely grated or minced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

For dipping:

• Radishes, halved or quartered
• Snap peas or shelling peas
• Cucumber, sliced into rounds or spears
• Carrots, cut into sticks
• Cherry tomatoes
• Crusty bread or crackers

Instructions

1. Make sure the cream cheese is genuinely soft — if it’s cold it won’t mix smoothly. Let it sit out for 30 minutes, or microwave for 15–20 seconds.

2. In a bowl, beat the cream cheese with a fork until smooth. Add the sour cream and mix until fully combined and creamy.

3. Stir in the chopped herbs, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust — more lemon if it needs brightness, more salt if it tastes flat, more herbs if you want it greener.

4. Transfer to a serving bowl. The dip can be used immediately but is better after 30 minutes in the refrigerator, which lets the flavors come together.

5. Arrange vegetables and bread around the dip and serve.

Tips

• Chop the herbs finely. Rough-chopped herbs make the texture uneven. Take a few extra minutes to chop them well.
• Greek yogurt version. Replace the sour cream with whole-milk Greek yogurt for a tangier, lighter dip. Works great.
• Make it ahead. The dip keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The flavor actually improves overnight.
• Herb ratios. Parsley is the mild base. Dill adds brightness. Chives add onion flavor. Mint adds freshness but use it sparingly — a little goes a long way.

Where to find the ingredients

Herbs are one of the best deals at the farmers market — usually $2–3 for a generous bunch. Look for parsley, dill, chives, basil, and mint at Tantre Farm, Community Farm of Ann Arbor, Jacob’s Fresh Farm, Seva Farm, and Green Things Farm. Radishes and snap peas are still available in late June at all four Washtenaw County markets. Cucumbers will start showing up in mid-July.