It’s peak foliage right about now and a wonderful time for a drive in the country.
It’s also a spectacular moment for Maine’s blueberry lands, which turn the most vivid of colors in the fall. Appleton Ridge in the Union area of Maine is a prime example of this display with its fruit fields lining the country roads.
Magenta, pink, red, orange, purple, rust and brown color the low-lying fields of bushes….it’s like another world!
It’s a special treat for me to pass by a pumpkin field still full of pumpkins that got passed by for harvest . Cattle and wild birds enjoy them. In light of that, I wonder why wild turkeys aren’t more delicious! Regardless, it’s a feast for the senses and we hope there are gleaner that also benefit. We need to see more of that in our foodways.
It’s a nice thought that even after their usefulness in feeding us , these fields and lands, once so prized by the Indians, are still feeding our souls in so many ways.
YOUR BUMPER CROP OF JALAPENOS. 3 CUPS, DICED SMALL
RED ONION, FINE DICE
SUGAR, 3/4 CUP
SALT 1 TSP
PEPPER, TO TASTE
VINEGAR, WE USE WHITE 1 CUP
CELERY SEED, 1 TSP. TOASTED
Method Basically, combine all ingredients. Stir, then simmer lightly for ten minutes. It will thicken slightly as it cools. At this point, you may choose to can it with a hot water bath, or simply place it in a sterile glass jar, tightly lidded, after it cools ( 20 minutes) This will hold in your fridge for a few weeks.
We love this on a grilled fish taco or a burger….You can’t lose!
It’s a time honored tradition in Maine, “putting food by”.
Simply put ,that means canning, pickling and freezing the bounty of the September harvest so a delicious, sunny reminder of summer is available later in the year. Garden tomato sauce, pickles, fermented cabbage, relishes and chopped frozen vegetables that seem like a lot now of trouble now, but will be welcome in February or anytime the winter winds blow.
There’s nothing new about it, except the frozen part perhaps ( I suppose that was new in the 50’s). My Grandmother, Laura, taught me the merits of these techniques , canning, pickling and fermenting, to enhance the family table all season long. We enjoyed homemade sauerkraut , sweet and sour pickles, chow-chow, a Pennsylvania Dutch vegetable relish, dilly beans, chili sauce, sour green tomatoes and pretty much anything you can imagine, canned and sometimes fresh.
I’m grateful for the lessons learned at my Grandma’s elbow. I’ve made them my own.
It’s a great moment to visit a farm stand, if your garden wasn’t enough, and get busy! Make a delicious tomato sauce, a quick pickle…or try my favorite…spicy and delicious Jalapeño relish, recipe in our “seasonal recipes” section. Great on a taco!
One of my favorite country drives in the summer is to the always bountiful “Beths Farm Market” in Warren.
Passing through the rolling fields and pastoral views, I can almost taste the coffee and molasses donuts waiting for me there.
Road eats are a plus and as the weather cools they offer free coffee to shoppers and bake up a dizzying array of donuts, pies and other baked goods.
August is the perfect month to go especially if you have a summer recipe in mind, as I do on this sunny day. I’m hankering for the South of France and since that won’t be happening right away, the next best thing is a bowl of Ratatouille. Brimming with summer vegetables, such as eggplant, zucchini and summer squash, garden herbs,sweet onion and tomato, Ratatouille is a feast for the senses.
Good either hot or chilled on a sweltering day, it’s one of my go-to evening meals when I am busy because it may be made well ahead and in quantity. It freezes well too!
Top this economic and delicious dish with a medley of fresh snipped garden herbs ( I like Oregano, Parsley and Savory) and shave some good Parmesan on Top. Crusty bread and farm butter complete the picture.
PREP TIME: 30min
MAKES 2 QUARTS and doubles easily, freezes well
SERVES 8-10
Ratatouille is the perfect way to use up the garden’s August bounty, and is adaptable to whatever vegetables you may have to use up, in varying proportions.
The usual suspects are garlic, onion, sweet peppers, eggplant, the summer squashes and tomato. Good olives oil is required.
DICE all the vegetables on the large side.
CHOP the herbs you wish to include ( add towards the end for brightness)
CHOOSE a heavy pot, lavish the bottom with oil.
BROWN the veggies in batches so they retain their character. Tomatoes last.
TRANSFER to a large and deep baking sheet or hotel pan.
BAKE IN OVEN at 350 degrees, covered, stir occasionally and season with bay leaf, salt and pepper as well as thyme and basil for about 45 minutes to an hour or more, depending on desired doneness.
I like to pair mine with a crusty baguette, fresh chopped herbs on top as well as good cheese on the side. This is a light, yet tasty and filling dish that only gets better.
More than ever, my guests are eating a “plant forward” or Vegan diet , or simply avoiding the heavier appetizers.
That’s the time to say “we see you” with an appetizer that will please everyone, even that thin-as -a -rail Vegan niece.
Try visualizing “whirled peas”. No really! Fresh, blanched and drained peas whirled in the cuisinart with good EVOO, Parmesan, parsley leaves, seasonings and toasted pine nuts.
Bright green and velvety, this spread needs no recipe, just salt to tastes and spread on freshly toasted baguette right before serving. The color will oxidize if done too far ahead.
Simple, good for you and appealing even to kids….VISUALIZE WHIRLED PEAS this Independence Day!
We here in New England value several things to mark this Great American Holiday. Ideally family around the table, sparklers and fireworks.
A plater of salmon, peas and new potatoes tells guests that the garden is on point. In Maine we might throw a lobster boil with “all the things” as side dishes. It’s generally too early for local corn on the cob, but new dill, potatoes and shelling peas are new and exciting at this time every year. Ditto the salad greens.
Lunch is over, and the grill is cooling down. Desserts are set out and the lemonade its refilled.
Before the lawn games begin and the fireflies fade into fireworks, let’s give thanks for the independent spirit, our families and the people that make our country still the greatest on earth.
The first greens of spring offer incredible salads. The asparagus bed is producing and the rhubarb is in overdrive.
Rhubarb is something I never tire of. Rheum, or the garden variety we know from Grandmother’s garden is a plant with many culinary and medicinal uses. Famously tart, it’s almost always used with sugar. Only the stalks are edible. It has savory applications too (think of a glaze paired with ginger, hoisin and hot honey for barbecued chicken). Or a yummy toast spread.
My favorite is a deep dish pie or crisp paired with lemon and lots of vanilla. I’ll share my recipe in this month’s seasonal recipes section.
Meanwhile , if you can’t keep up with your crop of rhubarb, it freezes beautifully. Or make a fine bouquet!
This recipe is wonderful with the season’s first tender stalks, but if you don’t mind “stringing” the stalks like celery, you can use them all season long. I like to dice and freeze extra for the winter months. Make your dice about a half inch, it holds up to the baking better.
RHUBARB CRISP, serves 6 to 8. Bake until bubbly at 350 degrees, about 40 minutes
3 # trimmed rhubarb stalks
Zest and juice of one lemon
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tb vanilla and a dash of cinnamon
1 tsp. Freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup quick cooking tapioca
Mix all together. Let this soak and soften the tapioca while you prepare a bottom crust, or this can be omitted. Sometimes a crunchy topping is enough.
CRUMBLE TOPPING
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 stick of cold butter
Cut the butter into the dry mixture .
Add:
1/2 cup crumbled quick oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts , if desired
Grease a glass pan of choice with butter, add the rhubarb mixture.
Top evenly with the crumble. I add a few more pieces of butter on top of all.
We enjoy this dessert hot out of the oven with a local vanilla ice cream or gelato!
LIFE IS GOOD! ~ ENJOY THE LUSH AND EARLY DAYS OF SUMMER~ Laura
Magenta, pink, red, orange, purple, rust and brown color the low-lying fields of bushes….it’s like another world!
A plater of salmon, peas and new potatoes tells guests that the garden is on point. In Maine we might throw a lobster boil with “all the things” as side dishes. It’s generally too early for local corn on the cob, but new dill, potatoes and shelling peas are new and exciting at this time every year. Ditto the salad greens.
CRUMBLE TOPPING
