Every year we plant lots of tomatoes in our garden, and at about this time every year, I am scrambling to try to use up every last bit of my fresh tomatoes.

A great way to use your tomatoes is to make a great base tomato sauce that you can turn into a number of things like spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, tomato soup, you name it.  My favorite part is that it is really simple to make!  I roast them in the oven, then blend them for a nice fresh sauce in no time.  And, it freezes really well, so you can have great tasting fresh sauce all winter long!

Continue reading “in season: tomatoes” »

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My sister in law gave me a large harvest of tomatillos to “do something” with. They were beautiful, and purple! I decided to make a salsa, because I didn’t want to take the chance of cooking the color out of them. This salsa recipe broils the tomatillos, cooking just enough to soften, but they keep their incredible color. It’d be a great way to use the last of your summer tomatillo harvests.

broiled tomatillo salsa
from gourmet

purple tomatillos, peeled and washed
a few cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
2 – 3 jalapenos
half a sweet onion
a handful of cilantro
juice of a lime (about 1 Tablespoon)
salt, to taste

If your tomatillos are not ripe, let them sit for a couple days with their skins on until they ripen.

In a baking tray, layer the tomatillos, garlic and jalapenos out. Drizzle with olive oil and mix around making sure everything is coated. Place directly under the broiler, and broil until the tomatillos pop. Don’t let them completely burn, but they should char a little. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Remove the stem ends and seeds from the jalapenos (leave the seeds in if you want a very hot salsa). Combine everything (tomatillos, roasted garlic, jalapenos, the onion half, cilantro, and lime juice) into a blender and blend until smooth. Add salt to taste. Store in a sealed jar in the fridge.

This salsa will jell up a little after it sits for a while. If this happens, add a little water and mix it around before serving.

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I hope you are experiencing an Indian Summer in your neck of the woods, or at least a slight version of one!  It’s a glorious time of year, especially for those of us still wanting to intake all the summer produce we can. At the top of this list are garden tomatoes…isn’t the taste difference between garden tomatoes and store-bought tomatoes absolutely incredible?  They are hardly the same fruit/vegetable (tomatoes are technically fruit, but we often refer to them as vegetables so I’m going to use both here ).  Today I’d like to share my favorite way to use the little grape and cherry tomatoes from the garden (or farmer’s market if you don’t have a garden), which makes for a super easy upgrade to any salad.  It’s so simple, but adds so much flavor…

Continue reading “Easy Upgrade to Your Basic Garden Salad” »

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I have been looking for as many ways as I can to use up our tomato supply. We don’t even have a tomato plant and I can’t seem to make a dent in our mountain of red, yellow and green. This easy salsa recipe is super fresh, and perfect with so many dishes and vegetables (even celery sticks). It would be really neat to make it using separate colored tomatoes, then swirling them together for a multi-colored bowl of salsa. Continue reading “recipe: summer salsa” »

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When it comes to produce in Utah, August is definitely my favorite month.  I feel like a kid in a candy store with all of the fresh tomatoes, squash and peaches around.

We didn’t plant a garden this year, (boo!) but I’m still enjoying the bounty from neighbors and family.  And since I know some of you are swimming in garden goodies, I thought I’d put together a list of some great-sounding recipes to use up your produce.  These are some of my favorite fruits and veggies that are in season right now:

Continue reading “in season: august favorites” »

Tags: peach, pepper, produce, Seasonal, squash, tomato, vegetables, zucchini
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Squash season is here, and many of us are wondering, what to do with all our squash?

I came across a great recipe to use up a lot of your summer squash.  it really takes this sometimes bland vegetable, and makes it taste amazing in this quiche with summer squash, bacon, and gruyere cheese.   Just serve it up with a some nice mixed greens and you a have a perfect lunch or dinner.

The gruyere cheese adds a perfect deep flavor and saltiness, and the bacon finishes it off.  Even my children loved it!

Continue reading “In Season: Summer Squash” »

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We rarely turn the oven on in the summertime, and I love eating peaches raw. But there are times when I want them baked with spices and paired with a glass of cold (almond) milk. Here’s a recipe for peach küchen, a german cake notorious for large slices of fruit gently placed atop the cake before baking. As it bakes the fruit settles and come out of the oven enveloped in a sweet pillow of crumb and sugar. Continue reading “recipe: peach küchen” »

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It’s that time of year again! Local peaches are being harvested from your neighborhood orchards and can be seen (and bought) at roadside stands, farmer’s markets, and even a local grocer. We love eating them fresh, with juice dripping down our arms and chins. Nothing better than a Utah peach in August.

Keep reading to learn some fun facts about these delicious fruit.. Continue reading “in season: peaches” »

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A classic American dessert gives a nod to the French with the delightful pairing of apricots and pistachios.  The pistachios are subtle, adding just the right amount of complexity.  Purchase your pistachios in the bulk section of your local grocery store if you don’t want a surplus around afterwards (although they would be perfect in steel cut oats with those last few remaining strawberries!).

Recipe after the jump…

Continue reading “Spiced Apricot + Pistachio Crisp” »

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During the height of the local food season, the foods we don’t get in our CSA share we get from roadside stands, farm stands, and farmer’s markets. Five years ago, our little town of Provo had one very small farmer’s market. All the vendors (there had to have been less then 20) fit in a small parking lot across the street from where they now hold the market every weekend. And while it is still considered a small market, with more crafters and artisans than farmers, it has come a long way and will continue to grow as people shop for their food needs directly from the source.

Now the downtown Provo market on Saturday morning isn’t the only market you can go to during the week. Here are all the farmer’s markets (that I know of) in Utah Valley. Be sure to visit one of them this week!

THANKSGIVING POINT FARMERS MARKET
By the Water Tower at Thanksgiving Point, Lehi
Fridays, from August 3 – October 5
3:00 – 7:00 p.m.

PROVO FARMERS MARKET
500 West 100 South (south side of Pioneer Park), Provo
Saturdays, from July – October
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

SPANISH FORK FARMERS MARKET
City Parking Lot, 40 South Main Street, Spanish Fork
Saturdays, from August – October
8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

HAPPY VALLEY FARMERS MARKET
The Shops at Riverwoods in Provo
Saturdays, from July 2 – October 15
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

BYU LAVELL EDWARDS STADIUM FARMERS MARKET
La Vell Edwards Stadium South Parking Lot (1700 North Canyon Road, Provo)
Thursdays, from July 28 – October 27
3:00pm-8:00pm

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