Another month has passed and we are well into summer. It’s a strange summer with none of the usual holiday markers to indicate the march of time. No Memorial Day, no 4th of July, and I don’t think Labor Day will be different from any other day of the week. I am losing track of time and the date as one day seems much like the one before and the one to come. I’m not (necessarily) complaining as we are all well, have plenty to eat and I am not worried about where the rent payment will come from. I feel very fortunate. But, it seems unreal with so many sad and horrifying events happening around the country and the world. I try to avoid being political on my blog, but I am deeply embarrassed and humiliated by my country right now.
So I retreat into my kitchen (and garden) which has a bounty of richness.
The flowering sweet peas are blooming like crazy. They need to be picked almost daily or they will set seed and stop blooming. I can see the blooms on the dining room table from the kitchen and they smell divine.
Sweet Pea Flowers
On the edible side, I have both snap and snow peas in the garden. It takes a few days to harvest enough for a meal but they are delicious!
Snap and Snow Peas
In my kitchen I have the first of the cucumbers from my plastic covered raised beds. I haven’t been able to get any to ripen in past years but the plastic has done the trick, raising the temperature.
Cucumbers
In my kitchen I have zucchini, lots of zucchini, which we adore simply grilled and splashed with good olive oil. I usually salt them for a few minutes before cooking which improves the sweetness and draws out excess water.
Grilled Zucchini
In my kitchen I have lettuce, this one is so beautiful as it looks like a flower. It’s almost too pretty to eat.
Lettuce from the garden
Our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box from Nye Ranch has contained bunches of regular and golden beets the last couple of weeks. I pickled a two of pints of each. The golden beets are with rice vinegar and ginger, the red ones with red wine vinegar and star anise.
Also from our CSA I have turnips. I don’t really like turnips, I try but am not having any luck. I hate to throw them into the worm bin so this time I made a quick refrigerator pickle with them. I do like radishes and I know they are in the same family. But, I am simply not a fan. I will let you know if the pickled ones turn me around.
Quick Refrigerator Pickled Turnips
And in my kitchen I have this lovely broccoli Romanesco.
From Wikipedia:
Romanesco broccoli is an edible flower bud of the species Brassica oleracea. First documented in Italy, it is chartreuse in color. Romanesco has a striking appearance because its form is a natural approximation of a fractal.
Broccoli Romanesco
Isn’t it beautiful? Although it looks closer to cauliflower the flavor is more like broccoli.
And, for comfort there has to be something sweet…in our case that’s chocolate, especially milk chocolate.
This post is part of an ongoing monthly summary from kitchens around the world. In My Kitchen is hosted by Sherry, from Sherry’s Pickings.
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