the perfect summer meal

[hendi_alex]

For me, the perfect summer meal is one where the majority of food on the plate came from the garden. Tonight we had a medley of oven roasted vegetable, a medley of grill roasted vegetables, with a side of bread, cucumber, and tomato. The oven roasted contained carrots from the garden, the grilled veggies contained zucchini from the garden, plus the tomato and cucumber came from the garden. Not quite up to summer standards, but still feels nice to have such ownership of the production of so much of our nightly meal.

Darn, it just hit me, that the grilled veggies should have contained home grown sugar snaps, which I forgot to include. Will include those in a salad tomorrow, from the garden of course!

[GardenJester]

I'm aimming to make ratatouille all from my garden vegs.

[DoubleDogFarm]

hendi_alex,

That sounds really good and healthy too. If you want rabbit or duck, from the garden, you will have to come visit.

I've been eating lots of mixed salads and Swiss chard. Hear in zone 8 WA. we are way behind you in tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, etc.. I have one little green tomato coming on in the greenhouse.

[hendi_alex]

This early start to the season is a two edged sword. In July when your garden is really producing like crazy, I'll be fighting with the summer heat and humidity and spent plants, trying to keep production going. Hopefully with an aggessive approach to succession planting, we'll coax fresh produce from the garden until frost. But there is no way that my garden will be anywhere close to as lush and healthy in the mid summer as is the case with those you with slower, cooler starts in the spring and early summer.

[garden5]

For me, there is just nothing like a hamburger with home-grown lettuce, tomato, onion, and peppers.

[lakngulf]

For me, there is just nothing like a hamburger with home-grown lettuce, tomato, onion, and peppers.

I am with you on the hamburger with home grown tomatoes. Hey, home grown tomatoes and anything is good.

My best meal would be freshly picked or caught: Grilled fish, sliced tomatoes, green beans, fried squash and onion.

[kgall]

Steamed veggies...Zucchini, Yellow squash, carrots, green beans steamed so the veggies are tender crisp. Then add tomato for the last minute!
I hope to add my own onions this year...If they ever grow!!!

[hendi_alex]

Have been eating these perfect summer meals now for almost two months. Typical meal consists of home grown cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, green beans with potatoes, green tomato and egg plant casserole, fresh corn. The green tomato casserole is the only item gets gets substituted out with some other entre. While the substituted item, such as pasta, may not be home grown, most of the ingredients like basil, parsley, dried tomatoes, thyme, garlic, oregano, etc. are home grown. So as the thread title suggests, we continue to be in the sweet spot where out of the garden produce provides about 90% of the food for our summer meals and hope such continues for the next four months or more.

What is your perfect summer meal? For us the details don't matter too much, but 'out of the garden' is the one essential ingredient, that makes us connect to summer time and and provides a special joy to the season. I wish that everyone could experience the pleasure that fresh local or home grown produce can provide.

[gardenbean]

I have to second what everyone here has written. about a good summer meal. But I also would like to suggest that a great summerl meal also includes sharing it with someone else, maybe to those who don't have access to a garden or that matter fresh veggies. (Two years I wouldn't have thought this, but it's a lesson I've learned from gardening).

There's just something about sharing your home grown veggies with others!

[greenstubbs]

As the homies in Oakland would say. True dat! I've been chowin on lots of chard and grilled Patty Pans. Along with Cuck sandwiches at lunch. Can't wait for the beets. Spinach and Kohlrobi's were a wash this year. Oh well, it's the Grand Experiment!

[hendi_alex]

And the meals keep coming. Tonight was a typical summer garden meal. Squash casserole with home grown yellow squash and home grown garlic. Home grown green beans seasoned with our own garlic. Broiled, sliced egg plant from our several plants. Sides from the garden: tomatoes, cucumbers, jalapenos and bell pepper. Also had a side of humus, home made of course, from canned garbanzo beans but with good quality olive oil added with more of the fresh grown garlic. Store bought cantalope. As a pre dinner snack: figs from the fig tree. After dinner treat of fresh blueberries from our bushes. Previous couple of days we had edamame from the garden as a before dinner snack.

These meals are a total pleasure for us, and easy to trim a few pounds as well since most of the garden produce is not very caloric. The winter meals tend to get very boring, as it is hard to get nearly as excited when the primary ingredients are not coming fresh from our garden.

Note: The wife is vegetarian, and I generally tag along, though do pan sear some salmon from time to time. My meat urges are usually satisfied when we dine out, plus sliced ham is usually available for my typical summertime ham, tomato, and cheese sandwich for lunch.

[lakngulf]

These meals are a total pleasure for us.

Ditto that. It is great to see a plate with fried okra, green beans, and juicy red tomato. Throw in some fried hash-squash if you want to add some more flavor and color.

Have been more successful with second and third plantings this year and yellow squash is plentiful. Put some more seed in the ground yesterday. When we get the craving for meat it is bacon in a BLT or pepper steak with fresh pepper from the garden.

[garden5]

Had some cucumbers and sour-cream the other night. I know that it's not as extravagant than other meals folks are having....but it's the first time with fresh cucumbers this year and it was delicious!

[gardenbean]

Green beans with Dill on the side with dinner tonite and BLT's for lunch (using tomatos and bib lettuce) yummy!!

[soil]

I just made homemade pasta with the small test patch of wheat I grew this last winter. fresh basil and lambs quarters pesto sauce from the garden, and topped with some sliced black cherry tomatoes. doesn't get much better.

[Susan W]

I will say 1st, not growing veggies. Just herbs, and usually peddling at 2 farmers markets/week. I bring home corn, tomatoes, potatoes, squash, peaches and more. Num-nums for sure!
Today brought home a few tomatoes. I have some peaches, corn and new potatoes from last market. I was about to get more peaches and corn and both vendors sold out!