Savoring the last sweetness of summer

Being a native of the Pacific Northwest, the concept of the last days of summer being in October is difficult to grasp. Even here, on the Central Coast of California though, we are beginning to see a change in the weather. Days are a little shorter & the summer fog has turned to some rainy days. 

Yesterday, the sky was brilliant blue & the Friday farmer’s market was lively. We saw bushels of tomatoes, sweet peppers, fat carrots, greens, potoates, stone fruit, apples & herbs.  My favorites are the sweet, plump tomaotes. They are just perfect right now and this time will pass quickly. 

 We brought home 30# of ripe & juicy tomatoes & set about saving them for those bleak months of winter when are tomato choices are  limited to overpriced and underripe grocery store tomatoes. 

The box of tomatoes became this:

.....and this:

 

.....and this:

Recipe:   Oven Roasted Fresh Tomatoes

 Ripe, whole tomatoes 

Kosher or sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Extra Virgin Olive oil

slivers of fresh garlic (optional)

Red, chile flakes (optional)

Heat oven to 300 degrees.

Halve tomatoes & place on sheet pan cut side up. 

Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil, sprinkle with seasonings. 

Place in oven & reduce temperature to 250 degrees. 

Bake for 1.5 - 3 hours depending upon size of tomatoes. 

The tomatoes should still be juicy when they are done. Serve warm or at room temperature with grilled bread & fresh cheese sprinkled with herbs.

To freeze: place tomatoes in freezer containers, drizzle with their juices & the olive oil. Cover tightly & freeze. To serve, thaw and then warm them slightly. They’re also good in soups, sauces & stews.  Share with friends.

The best granola I've ever had......

I like granola, but rarely buy it. To my taste commercially produced granola always tastes too sweet or the fruit has an artificial quality to it.  But cruising around the internet one day I read a piece by Melissa Clark of the New York Times on an olive oil granola she tasted in the city & the recipe she used to replicate it. Wow is it good! Don't even bother to make a single batch.......

 Here's the link to Melissa Clark:   http://tinyurl.com/ojdktk

 Here's the recipe with my adaptations:

 

Olive Oil Granola with Dried Cherries & Pecans

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, hulled

3/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

3/4 cup chopped sour dried cherries

1/2 cup golden raisins

Mix together everything except the fruit. Bake at 325 for 50 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes. Cool slightly & stir in the dried fruit. Serve with yogurt & fresh berries.

Baking hint:  Line your sheet pan with foil & spray well!

Summer???

I have been reading emails and Facebooks pages from friends and family with photos of summer fun.  I'm seeing lots of trips to the beach/lake/river with swimming and boating;pictures of ripening summer gardens and backyard barbeques. All events appear to be bathed in warm summer sun. 

Here on the Central Coast of California we are reminded of the quote from Mark Twain - "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."  Living only 100 miles south of our favorite city, we share very similar weather......and we have been freezing (well not quite) all summer!  

Our garden continues to grow massive amounts of greens of all sorts. The tomato plants are huge. One is over six feet tall and nine feet (no exaggeration - we measured it) across.

We have hundreds of green tomatoes (and one red one that we ate with an ear of our home grown sweet white corn) who are just begging for a little sunshine.  When it finally comes we will be living in tomato hell I am sure. The canner will take up constant residence on the back of the stove and tomato skins will litter every part of our lives. 

Other garden delights:

I'm calling this "bean twist."  It's amazing to see what these little plants do.

"Giant" variety pumpkin. It grows by leaps and bounds each day. There are others as well, but this is the grandaddy. I can't wait to see how big it will be by October. 

Home grown, hard stem, red garlic. Really sweet and pungent. 

Eating:

Fresh Corn, Tomato, Basil & Green Bean Salad

Serves 2 veggie lovers:

1 ear of sweet corn - kernels cut from cob

1 ripe tomato

10 large basil leaves

1 cup of fresh green beans

1 large clove garlic

lemon juice

Extra virgin olive oil

Kosher Salt and pepper to taste

Steam the green beans until just tender. Dice tomato. 

Mix beans, tomato & corn kernels together. Make a dressing with the lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Serve with grilled peasant bread topped with soft goat cheese.

Mound the salad on the bread. Eat outside, in the sun, with the juices dripping off of your fingers and onto the ground.   Please send photos of your sunny times.......

Unusual Plant

I came across this plant in Pacific Grove, near the water. Investigation has revealed that it is called "Arum."

Midsummer Harvest

July 14, 2010 - 

Harvested today:

1. Rainbow Swiss Chard - we had planned to pull the plants, but found we just couldn't do it when we saw the tiny, new chard leaves when we cut the big ones. Come on little guys! The great grandaddy leaf is 26" tall. These leaves are so beautiful and colorful, it almost seems a shame to cut them up. Almost.....

2. Green beans. See previous post. Strange little varieties, but all good. Tonight they will be dinner along with some grilled fish. 

3. Basil - threatening to flower & needed to be cut back. Pesto for the freezer!

4. Two nicely sized zucchini.

Planted today:

1. 12 little cilantro plants. Planted in the shade as the others are bolting to flower

2. 6 dill plants

3. A new parsley patch

4. More red leaf lettuce. 

Progress:

1. "Giant" variety pumpkin -This plant grows about four inches a day. It is now halfway around the back of our house. I will worry when it starts to encroach on the front door.

2. The corn has actual ears......with silk and tassles - wow!

3. Tons of tomatoes - all green so far, but in varying sizes

4. The zucchini plants are so big and prickly it was hard to get the squash out. My arms are itching from the prickly leaves. 

4. Everything is suddenly really bushy. 

5. The garlic we planted last fall is nearly ready to harvest and cure. The "scapes" (flower blossoms) are straightening out. 

Eating:

Green Beans with Dill, Shallots and Tomatoes 

Though it is early for our tomatoes to ripen, I will break out one of the remaining three pint jars of tomatoes canned last September for these perfect little beans. 

1# green beans with the stem end snapped off

1 large shallot,  minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup super sweet tomatoes - chopped. Remove the skins if you are picky  or leave them on for their flavor

2 TBL fresh dill

1 1/2 TBL extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

Saute the minced shallot in 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil for about 3 minutes. Add the cleaned and dry green beans to the pan and sear well. Add the garlic & stir for about one minute. Stir in the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Simmer until beans are tender. Stir in the fresh dill, taste for seasoning & drizzle with two tsp. extra virgin olive oil. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

NOTE:  This is only worth making when the green beans are really sweet and tender and the tomatoes sweet and ripe. This is a dish to dream about in the cold winter months when summer is a distant memory.