Pears are coming into season, and it can’t be soon enough for me. I love the taste of fresh ripe pears from local growers.
Did you know that there are over 3,000 varieties of pears? I had no idea.
Of the 3,000 varieties. There are six that reign supreme.
To me, corn fritters bring back fond memories of running through the sprinklers as a child, and taking a little break on the back steps as my mom handed us each a hot corn fritter.
I love when summer sweet corn is at it’s peak! There nothing better than some nice fresh sweet corn! For those of us who have corn out of our ears, check out this corn fritter recipe!
The kale and chard in our small box garden mightn’t be growing enough to sustain our family, this year is our first year with any type of harvestable garden, so even though the yield is small it was still exciting being able to make something with them.
This dish is made with new red potatoes I bought at the farmer’s market and summer greens, kale and chard. It’s perfect as a side dish for dinner, or paired with a god loaf of bread and a few fresh peaches or cherries for a lunch. (more…)
I love cherries, the fact that you have to invest a little more work to enjoy them compared to other fruit doesn’t bother me. You find yourself easing into a rhythm of breaking off the stem, separating and spitting the pit, then enjoying the sweet fruit. It may eventually become a game, seeing how far you can spit the pit, comparing your talents to whomever you’re enjoying them with. Take advantage of the season and buy a sack at your local farmers market, they may sell a type that you’ve never tried before.
Keep reading for more info about perfect summer cherries. (more…)
There are a handful of meals we love to eat all summer, this sandwich is one of them. Sometimes we frill it up, adding avocado, cured meats, fresh greens, or other fancy additions, but most of the time we eat it as simple and pure as possible to highlight the beacon of summer; bright, plump, perfect tomatoes. When you make these with locally grown, organic heirloom tomatoes, you will want summer to last all year long. (more…)
Plump, juicy tomatoes are a sure sign of a good summer. The best kind are straight from your garden, or from a local farm. I love eating them with only a sprinkle of salt, like an apple. A little girl told me once that she liked tomatoes better than candy, and she would know a good tomato since her family harvests over 62 varieties daily.
Not a tomato fan? Maybe you just haven’t met the perfect one. It’s quite possible since the type that are likely sold at your local grocer are nothing like the heirloom type I ate for dinner the other night. Keep reading to learn a little more about these lovely edibles and visit localharvest.org to scout out a local farm selling organic heirloom tomatoes to die for. (more…)
If you’ve ever grown your own zucchini, you will know that one plant gives you more than enough of the vegetable to keep you busy all summer long! I always know when zucchini is in season, because my plant will start giving me 3 or 4 zucchini a week. And right now, I think I have almost 10 of them waiting to be used! (more…)
I wanted to make my mother’s red velvet cake for Independence day, adding fresh blueberries on top made it quite the patriotic dessert. I also wanted to find a natural substitution for the red dye traditionally used to give the cake it’s blush hue, and I found it. The almost walnut sized deep red beets that I bought at the farmer’s market made this cake beautifully rosy. And whad’ya know, beets are in season! Be sure to stop by your local farmer’s market and pick up some small, homegrown beets to bake this cake; or better yet pick them from your own garden! Be sure to use the entire plant by adding the green tops to a fresh salad.
Happy Independence Day! (more…)
Summer is finally here and berries are plentiful!
I could eat berries by the handful, and do so practically everyday. I love to eat them on top of my morning oatmeal, on angel food cake, or my all time favorite is on crêpes!
Berries, crêpes, maybe a little ice cream or fresh whipped cream and hot fudge on top. Sounds like a perfect way to end a nice summer evening. Or, begin it, right?
Take advantage of the amazing prices of berries at your local farmers market, or grocery store and eat a handful with all your favorites.
Read more for a delicious crêpe recipe!
We just spent a week in California and on my list of things to do was to visit my favorite strawberry stand and get a flat of the best berries this side of the Rockies (I’m sure that may be arguable). If you have never had a strawberry freshly picked, you’ve never had a strawberry at it’s best. They are juicy, so sweet and a deep red the entire way through. I have written about strawberry season before, but here are a few facts you mightn’t have known about the lovely deep red fruit that just about everyone adores. (more…)
