What We Ate Part 2

I've just about got Plantboy talked into the garden blog. I think the goal is to begin January first and work through the year. This has been another wonderful week for eating what we grow. The menu changes a lot from early summer to late. Here is the last few days, and the next few:


Tacos: Standard fair, really, but this week with the addition of some awesome guacamole containing tomatoes, peppers and onions from our garden. The cilantro came from a friend's garden.

Red Curry: Had peppers, green beans, carrots, zucchini and onions from the garden. Tried to put it in the crock-pot this time was a bit of a fail, particularly in the case of my poor green beans. Stir fry is far superior.

Pasta Bake and Salad: Nothing fancy in the pasta, but the salad had loads of fresh garden tomatoes. Pasta bake night was also the night of my book group and I made my annual razzleberry pies. They turned out so beautiful. The strawberries and some of the blueberries were ours. We picked the raspberries at a local farm (ours aren't producing well enough to use yet), and the blackberries came from an obliging field just down the street.

Asian Salad: I went to the farmers market for some help with red peppers, pea pods and lettuce.

Plantboy went fishing today and caught a salmon that is probably about 25 pounds. The boys are grossing out in the backyard right now watching him gut the thing. Of course, nobody is forcing them to watch, but I find they quite enjoy gross things. My sweetheart is probably giving them a biology lesson at the same time. It is a good life.

So here is what will come this week:

Salmon: With a side of caprese salad using our basil and Roma tomatoes. I am also going to do an angel hair pasta tossed with tomatoes, basil and peppers. A little olive oil and lemon juice should be adequate sauce with so many other delightful flavors going on. I'm growing an interesting lemon-basil that will be just the thing. I think I will put in some lemon rosemary bread tonight also.

Chicken Pot pie: I have a leftover pie crust from my razzleberry pie for this. It will have carrots and peas and onions from the garden and a mashed potato base--we still have a few mounds that need digging up. A side of green beans and/or a salad. Tomatoes, of course, in the salad.

Shepherd's Pie: I am going to make this because Plantboy grows this funny, stubby little carrots called Tom Thumb carrots that are adorable in stew, and rather too much work (they are hard to cut) for anything else. Onions and garlic from the garden in the gravy. More frozen peas. Mashed potatoes on the top. When the beef is in the crockpot I will do a bouquet garni out of garden herbs to steam with it--basil, rosemary and oregano.


Hungry for the week to begin. If the last two dishes seem a bit heavy, well, it is not even eight o'clock yet and my kids have their jackets on outside. Fall might just be in the air!