Pam Powell has a business life that reads like a movie script.

An artist and caterer, she was approached by Kowalski's Markets to place her salad dressings on the shelves of the company's Twin Cities supermarkets. That serendipitous moment sparked the creation of Salad Girl Organic Salad Dressing Co. Five years later, her booming enterprise has naturally -- one might even say organically -- led to Powell's first cookbook, "Salad Days" (Voyageur Press, $19.99), a collection of more than 150 recipes that are organized by season and advocate organic, locally produced ingredients.

Powell, who also supplied the book's charming illustrations, recently shared the details.

Q What's the origin of the Salad Girl name?

A We had a cabin on Gull Lake [in Brainerd, Minn.]. I was 15, and I'd had it with babysitting, so I started washing dishes at Madden's. Whenever I took my break, I'd go over and help the salad girl. That's the job I wanted, because it was really the first time I'd ever eaten fresh greens and vegetables. At home, we would have maybe iceberg lettuce with Western dressing. Remember that? I hated it. But Madden's used the farmers in the area, they bought romaine and fresh leaf lettuce, cabbage, spinach, sugar snap peas and all the stuff for the relish trays. They ate like farm people, and I thought that this might be the way to eat.

Q Why do you recommend buying organic greens?

A It's all about how they're not grown with pesticides. That's so important and why it's so good to know the farmer you're buying from. But it's also about convenience. If I don't know the farmer, I know I can count on Earthbound Farm [brand organic greens]. I've been buying them forever, and I've never had a problem with bacteria. They do such a good job with washing their greens. I'm such a lazy cook, and if I don't have to wash greens, I'm a happy camper.

Q How about a quick tutorial on washing salad greens?

A I immerse the greens in icy water -- the cold part is important -- and then I add a little of my salad wash. The recipe is in the book, but you could also use just a little sea salt and a little white vinegar -- and I don't use very much, maybe a tablespoon. Then I quickly rinse them -- again, in very cold water -- and then I set them to dry on a flour sack cloth. I do this right before I'm going to prepare them.

Q What about storing greens long-term?

A What a lot of people don't know is that if you store greens in a pitcher of water in the refrigerator -- so it looks like a florist's shop -- they keep wonderfully. Chard and kale and herbs and beet greens will stay fresh for a week.

Q What should salad-makers keep in stock, oil- and vinegar-wise?

A For convenience's sake, you should always have a good olive oil, a good walnut oil and a sunflower oil on hand. I like walnut oil because it's a treat, but it's expensive. Sunflower oil is good for cooking. As for vinegars, I love to try different balsamics. An old, good-quality balsamic will get kind of syrupy and a little bit sweet, and that marries nicely with oils. I use a lot of rice vinegars because they are gluten-free. They have a fresh, friendly taste. They don't have the tart pungency of, say, an apple vinaigrette.

Q Can you share a vinaigrette tip?

A Make sure that it's blended well, that it's emulsified. That's really important. It doesn't have to be creamy, but it shouldn't be separated, either. I put it in a jar and shake it just before I dress the salad.

Q We're in peak produce season right now. But what do you use, salad-wise, in the winter?

A We live off of our pantry. I'm a traditionalist. I'll make warm potato salads, and I'll use lots of grains. We get that box of citrus for Christmas, so we have lots of citrus salads. And winter is when I really love dried fruits.

Q Your own Salad Girl salad dressing recipes are not in the book. Why? I was kind of hoping to find the secret to that terrific Crisp Apple Maple dressing.

A The manufacturer -- or my husband -- would probably murder me if they were [laughs]. Also, when you're working on that level, the ingredients and the processes are so different that it wouldn't work at home.

Q What role has Spoonriver owner Brenda Langton played in your life?

A When I was a student at MCAD [Minneapolis College of Art and Design], I got a job as a waitress at Cafe Kardamena [Langton's first restaurant, in St. Paul]. We were all vegetarians, all little hippie people. I loved her whole philosophy, the way she looked and the way she lived. I was really, really proud of her, a young woman having her own restaurant. Years later, someone had given Mrs. Kowalski some of my dressings as a gift, and she called me and said that she would be interested in putting it on her shelves. So we worked our butts off, doing research and product development. We started at farmers markets. I applied to a bunch of them and didn't get into any of them. That's when Brenda called and said, "I founded a farmers market, and of course you can come." But she needed to taste the dressings first, and after four or five tastings -- you know Brenda -- she finally let me in. We sold out every weekend. Now we're in about 350 stores nationwide.

Q The book sings the praises of a number of locally produced cheeses. Are Minnesota- and Wisconsin-made cheeses a special interest of yours?

A I could be a cheese girl, definitely [laughs]. I love fresh greens and fruits with cheese. You really can't have a salad without good cheese.