Friends with Benefits

...no, not THAT kind., silly monkey!  I have a couple friends who fortunately are great at growing things that I don't, and even better, they love to share their bounty with me.  The other day my friend Chris dropped off a basket of peaches and peppers, and the next day my friend Randy gave me a bag filled with plums.  It's amazing to bite into a fresh, home-grown piece of fruit.  It tastes nothing like what you get at your supermarket.  When I was a kid, my grandparents had an orange tree in their backyard, and I ate as much as it would give. They were the sweetest, juiciest oranges I've ever eaten, and I've spent many years since trying to find one at the farmers' market that gives me that same rush of flavor.  It rarely happens, but perhaps it's just that reality is never as sweet as our memories.  But my love of home grown, just-picked produce comtinues to this day.

With more than enough of these to just eat as is, I set out to find a fun way to use them...and bring them together..... Stone Fruit Salsa!! 

Pretty simple, pretty delicious!  And all of the ingredients came from my garden, my friends' gardens or my fridge:
peaches, plums, basil, red onion, jalapeno pepper, lime juice, maple syrup (helps balance the heat of the pepper), salt and pepper.  No trip too the store.  Got to love that!  Grow, grow, grow stuff! Or at keast have friends that do!

This is going to grace grilled halibut fillets tonight, but would be equally delicious over chicken breasts, or as salsa likes to be used best, with a bowl of crispy chips.  Dig in!

Stone Fruit Salsa
Makes 2 cups

2 peaches, diced
1 plum, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1/3 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup chopped basil leaves
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon grade B maple syrup
Pinch salt and pepper

• Mix all ingredients in a bowl and let stand 20 minutes for flavors to combine,

Yum it up!

Brown Thumb No More!

I am notorious for killing any growing thing (ecept my dog).  The suggestion has been made that maybe watering would help my stats.  I took it under advisement, and a couple summers back I tried growing tomatoes.  Shockingly, I was pretty successful.  Would have been more successful if I didn't live in an area flooded with little critters who coveted my crops and made off with the( literal) fruits of my labor each night while I slept, dreaming of the new recipes I would try.  But I was successful enough to get a little cocky and go for it again last summer, and added squash to my efforts.  Unfortunately it turned out to be the return of the brown thumb.  I blamed it on the weather; others blamed it on my lack of fertilizer and water.  Either way, I got nothin' (but neither did the critters).

I gave up, filled my raised bed with sand, popped in a beach umbrella, a couple loungers and some tiki torches and called it a day!

But the more I got into the idea of local and seasonal cooking, the more I thought of having my own kitchen garden.  But I was unsure and felt a little defeated.  Then a couple months ago, I helped a friend plant his beautiful vegetable garden: tomatoes, melons, squash, peppers, you name it, we planted it.  And I saw it explode in no time.  Sure, I wasn't the one tending to it, but I did plant a lot of it.....so why not try dong it for myself??

So I did, and here's what's happening in my little backyard.....

This is an "eight ball" zucchini.  I'll be using this to make my raw "raviolis".  I think I probably posted that recipe a year or so ago, so it may be time for a new and improved one.  But basically, I slice thin discs with a mandoline, soak them in a little olive oil and salt to loosen them up until they are pliable,  put a dollop of  lemon and chive infused chevre on top, fold over like a little ravioli and top with a some fresh pesto.  Sooooo tasty!  

This is my summer squash.  I already picked a couple larger ones for the Summer Squash & Corn Soup I'm making in tmorrow's cooking class.

Here's one of my peppers; not sure which kind yet, as they all look alike at this stage.  I have 3 varieties: banana peppers and sweet yellow and red.  These guys are going to be great stuffed and put on the grill when the time comes!
And of course.....my tomatoes:

Next week is supposed to get wicked hot, so I'm hoping my 4 plants start bustin' out the fruit and I see some red ones soon!  Hard to not just eat them right off the vine, but I've got lots of plans for them.  Here's one of my salsa recipes to try when these guys are good and juicy....won't be long!

Heirloom Tomato Salsa                                                                                                Makes 2 cups

2 cups diced heirloom tomatoes, about 2 large

¾ cup diced red onion

1 teaspoon diced jalapeno pepper

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons tamari

1 teaspoon cumin

·         Toss tomatoes, onion, jalapeno pepper and cilantro in a medium sized bowl.

·         Whisk the vinegar, lime juice, oil, tamari and cumin in a small bowl.  Pour over tomato mixture, stirring to combine.

·         Let stand 10-15 minutes (or longer) for flavors to develop.

·         Delicious with chips, as a Bruschetta topping, or served over grilled chicken or fish.

Believe me, if I can do it, anyone can do it!!  (Turns out they were right about the watering thing!!)  Nothing like walking out into your garden, porch, deck, balcony, whatever, and picking someting fresh to make for dinner!

Yum it up!