Garden eating: August

For the first two installations in the series, see June, and July.

This is when it really starts to get interesting. I was rattling off a list of what's ready in the garden the other day, for a friend, and it was like a grocery store inventory. A rather high-end grocery store, honestly. Potatoes, tomatoes, beans, squash, cucumbers, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, arugula, herbs, fennel, kale, chard, carrots, leeks, celery, broccoli... oh my! How did this happen? Those seeds I put in the ground months or weeks ago are actually doing their thing, and it is awesome to see. The tomatoes are absolutely rolling in-- not by the laundry basket-ful, but in perfectly respectable quantities all the same. I canned six pints of salsa from my own garden tomatoes this week, and that felt pretty amazing. 

Oddly, most of the tomatoes we ate this week were snack-style, layered with mayo and salted and peppered on bread. I wanted to focus on some of the other things that are ready right now, like the fennel, and that bok choy. The tomatoes are just getting started, too. That's the glory.

So, we have, in order of appearance:

Sesame ramen with scallions and bok choy, a spin on this amazing thing. I just throw whatever veggies in after I've heated and infused the oil-- oh, and I use wayyy less than the 1/2 cup it calls for--and it's good to go.

Sorry for the crummy photo, it was a dark and stormy evening. We've started doing rice and beans once a week, and I'm absolutely loving it. It's sooo healthy and delicious, and CHEAP!, and I top it with a quick salsa or pickle made from whatever's in the garden. The basic formula: chopped crunchy vegetable, squeeze of lime, a little cumin, salt and pepper. This week and last, I made fresh salsa with red onion and garden cilantro... pure heaven. Pure, unadulterated heaven.

This was a mix of grilled beet, potato, fennel, mushrooms, and squash, over polenta with a blue cheese vinaigrette. 

My favorite thing to do with green beans: this recipe, with tofu instead of shrimp (SO easy) and two tablespoons of brown sugar added to the curry paste. I freeze that curry paste (with garden basil, cilantro, and hot peppers) so we can eat this all winter, with frozen green beans. 

Last but not least, my favorite tart in the whole world, this time packed with steamed squash and broccoli, and accompanied with green beans roasted with olive oil, salt, and almonds and topped with chopped parsley.
Oh, it's a good, good season...
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