They say that this Winter is looking like it's going to be a rough one.  So, while we're still here in Indian Summer, I thought I'd share some shots of the PLETHORA of sun-loving tomatoes that have graced our tabletop (and dehydrator, and blender, and sandwiches, and sauces aaand... you get the picture). This has definitely been our bumper crop this season!












The kids are finally both back in school.  That gives me a little more time to play.
Here's a recipe for a new pickle that I tried out.  It's a new personal favorite, combining the sweetness of grape tomatoes with a sparkling, crunchy explosion of flavor.  Oh, and it's probiotic!

Ok.  I've been slacking in writing about this stuff.  We've also been traveling a bit and it's been fantastic.

Full CSA Share Week 8

Full CSA Share Week 9

The last 2 weeks have been populated by peaches, plums, apples, melon, and blueberries.  All of which we ate raw and at once.   I actually supplemented our fruit supply with storebought fruit as well.   Just leave it on the table and it disappears.


We made raw salads out of the lettuce, and cucumbers and green beans during week 8.

The leeks (3) and red potatoes and onion were used in a version of Manhattan Clam Chowder.
I modified the recipe to contain Leeks, canned clams and juice (I KNOW!   it was a weeknight!) and 3 or 4 HUGE heirloom tomatoes (more about those in a moment).
 

I also made another batch of Borscht out of the beets and grilled up the japanese eggplants and broccoli.

So guys.  Here's the thing:  I'm finding that I'm happiest when I supplement my CSA share!  "Using it up" as a family of 4 has never once proven to be the challenge that I was hoping for.   Don't get me wrong.  I LOVE the idea behind a CSA membership and being surprised each week with a variety of produce, but it just isn't enough to keep me inspired.   I'll keep updating with photos of the CSA hauls for the rest of the season, but I'm thinking most of my inspiration will be coming from elsewhere...


And with that:  I was feeling uninspired.  Didn't want to cook the same old stuff.  Didn't want to write about it. 

Then Mom went on vacation and let me loose in her garden...  I came home with this:


HEIRLOOM TOMATO GLUT!!  And fresh herbs and carrots and onions and cucumbers and flowers.

THIS is what I'm talking about.

I immediately responded with a tomato/basil/cucumber salad with a simple balsamic vinaigrette.  It was amazing in a way that only fresh heirloom tomatoes can be:

 To go along with the clam chowder (or so I told myself, Actually this could be a meal unto itself) I made a Crostata out of heirloom tomatoes, fresh sage, parsley and basil, and fresh picked caramalized onions.

These ingredients were actually enough for 2 Crostata!

It's the equinox and from here on out the days will be shorter than the nights here in the northern hemisphere.  The weather has turned cooler and the leaves are starting to change color.  Everything that is going to set fruit this season is doing so and herbs and flowers for winter remedies abound.  This is going to be a photo roundup of what we've been doing and seeing around here lately.

Hope you enjoy!

In my continuing effort to proceed with the tomato theme, I put Gazpacho on my list of things to create last week.  We had all the ingredients on hand, ready to go and as I started chopping and stirring and measuring I realized 2 things:  1)  I wanted protein in my "soup"... so I added garbanzo beans and 2) It was 40 degrees and raining outside.  I wanted HOT soup.

When I finished with the Marinara sauce, I still had about 3 quarts of tomatoes left.  What to do?    We already tried crostata, but what about pie??

So, we took the crust recipe used in the crostata, and filled it with tomato pie ingredients this time around.  It was pretty darn amazing! Savory, salty and sweet it's perfect for brunch or an afternoon snack

• 1 9-inch pie shell (we used the crostata crust recipe)
• 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
• 3 medium tomatoes, cut in half horizontally, squeezed to remove excess juice, roughly chopped, to yield approximately 3 cups chopped tomatoes
• a palmful of basil (dried)
• 2 cups shredded Daiya "Pepperjack" cheese (Or Daiya cheddar would work too)
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise *see note*
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

*the only reservation I had about this recipe was that when eaten hot, it is a little on the greasy side. Next time I plan on using 1/4 c mayo and 1/2 c breadcrumbs for the top layer.*

As I said in my last post, I took a trip to our friendly neighborhood farmstand and picked up  A LOT of tomatoes!

And some local garlic and onions.   So, there was only one logical direction this could go: 

I admit it, the last couple of weeks I've been pretty rudderless.  No inspiration or creative energy what-so-ever... and I was crabby about it too.  Then, Hubby made this beautiful Crostata dish he saw on a friend's blog... and I was finally inspired to go out there and get some gorgeous ingredients for MORE stuff!


The last few days I've been busy in the kitchen chopping and preserving and simmering.  And I've also been making a bunch of artwork to go along with the book I'm writing (Mostly stories and recipes from here, and it'll be available in a few months both through Amazon and on my main page).

So, here's to a sudden burst of activity, and a YUMMY new recipe!




Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the flour and salt and thyme. Then, add the margarine and mix until it is the consistency of coarse cornmeal. Add cold water until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, then remove and form into a ball and wrap in foil. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion, zucchini and summer squash,  and sprinkle with garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side, then set aside.

Working on a well-floured surface, roll out the dough into a circle about 15 inches in diameter. Then  place the dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

We ate ours as a side with salmon that we also cooked on the grill.

Cucumbers have been making their way into our kitchen by the bagful and I'm loving every second of it.  Over the last week, I've made another double batch of lacto-fermented dills, and a couple quarts of beautiful tiny refrigerator dills (actually, my youngest daughter played a big part in putting these together).  One of the bags of cukes that we got were overripe and HUGE.  I chopped 4 of them up and made traditional style sweet (bread and butter) pickles, and tried my hand at yet another recipe passed down from Oma.  "Geschmorte Gurken" is a braised stuffed cucumber recipe where you hollow out the seeds and use the cukes as little bowls to stuff with savory (Paleo-friendly!) filling.  And we still have more cukes so we aren't quite done yet!


Lets start with a little project I did with my 2-year-old daughter while her sister was at camp.  She was so excited to help (EAT) the little cucumbers that I had gotten specifically for pickling that I thought it was wise to just let her immerse herself in the process.  She did great and now we have 2 quarts of beautiful refrigerator dills to snack on.