Category Archives: fruit vegetables

End of the year free for all

The ten days of Indian summer last week certainly was the last hurrah of this growing season. Over the weekend, I picked twelve pounds of red tomatoes, not counting cherries, and a dozen Japanese finger eggplant. All these came to … Continue reading

Posted in eggplant, mint, tomato | Comments Off on End of the year free for all

Indian summer

Indian summer is always bitter-sweet. The days warm after a cold snap but only for a short spell: winter approaches, and the growing season nears its end. Perhaps, this special window of warm, sunny fall weather is called Indian summer … Continue reading

Posted in basil, cilantro, corn, green tomato, oregano & marjoram, parsley, scallion, sweet & hot peppers | Comments Off on Indian summer

Fried green tomatoes, Turkish style

Another excellent way to prepare and serve green tomatoes. This recipe comes from Moro East, the third cookbook of UK chefs Sam[antha] and Sam Clark and  a collection of Turkish, Kurdish and Cypriot recipes they gleaned from gardening on an allotment* … Continue reading

Posted in green tomato | Comments Off on Fried green tomatoes, Turkish style

More green tomatoes

Had a truly outstanding green tomato soup at the home of photographer Patricia Evans. (See the header photo top of page for an example of Patsy’s work.) It’s another New York Times recipe and it’s simply delicate, tangy and delicious. Enjoy! … Continue reading

Posted in green tomato | Comments Off on More green tomatoes

Early harvest: tomatoes and basil

When the average temperature in Chicago this date is 74 degrees, we know it’s an early fall today. Last night dipped into the 40s and today the high will be in the low 50s, warming up to high 50s and … Continue reading

Posted in basil, green tomato, harvesting, superfoods | Comments Off on Early harvest: tomatoes and basil

Tomatoes, part two

Two easy recipes for tomatoes: fast, basic tomato sauce slowly roasted tomatoes fast, fresh tomato sauce A friend asked about a fast, fresh tomato sauce recipe. The best is adapted, once again, from Mark Bittman in his The Best Recipes … Continue reading

Posted in harvesting, superfoods, tomato | Comments Off on Tomatoes, part two

Cucumbers

Garden cucumbers  are nothing like the limp, tasteless, standardized things found in most stores. Cucumbers come in many colors, shapes and sizes and are the fruit of the vine. Each variety has its own sweet, herbal, grassy, crisp, clean flavor. … Continue reading

Posted in cucumber, harvesting, hyperlocal, hyperfresh | Comments Off on Cucumbers

Eggplant

The Turks have an eggplant dish Imam bayildi, the imam fainted, with pleasure because the dish was so very delicious. First time I ate it, I swooned too and became enamored of eggplant. Gardening at a community garden for a … Continue reading

Posted in eggplant | Comments Off on Eggplant

Squash blossoms

You can pick and eat the blossoms from zucchini, summer squash, pumpkin and winter squash vines. The Italians first discovered how tasty a delicacy these blossoms are. Pick blossoms that are firm, fresh and slightly opened. Blossoms are either male … Continue reading

Posted in squash blossom, summer squash, winter squash, zucchini | Comments Off on Squash blossoms

Zucchini

Zucchini originates from Mexico and still is an integral part of the milpah, the indigenous American  garden of maize, beans and squash. Somehow, centuries after the Spaniards brought it to Europe, it was adopted by the Italians; we all assume … Continue reading

Posted in summer squash, zucchini | Comments Off on Zucchini