Ain't It The Fall

Fall is not my favorite season. Never has been. It is too much of a reminder that Winter is coming, and that is my least favorite season. This weekend though, Fall was very kind and gave us two beautiful days. I was at a farmer's market and couldn't help but be impressed with the beautiful colors all around me, so I thought I would share them with you, my loyal readers.

The title above is significant as when I was young and sad in my twenties, I had a favorite song called Ain't It the Fall by that long defunct group called Starland Vocal Band. Who remembers them? (Oh come on now, Afternoon Delight?? I knew you'd remember.)

It used to make me cry.

Much happier times now, no matter what the season.

Cherry-Poppin' Tomato Sauce

The Husband tore down the garden on this gorgeous Fall day and there was still an amazing quantity of produce left on the vines to deal with. The corn on the cob was blanched, thrown in ice water for a few minutes, wrapped individually in plastic wrap and then put in freezer bags for the deep freeze. These lovely ears will be enjoyed in the dead of winter and we will remember our bountiful garden in the summer of 2008.

Above: Corn fresh from the garden.
Above: Corn in their blanching bath
Above: All wrapped up and ready for the freezer

As for the many cherry tomatoes, I opted to roast those and they too will be frozen and enjoyed later in the year when we are facing day after day of gloomy weather and there won't be a decent tomato anywhere to be found. I wish I had smell-o-computer so you could all enjoy the aromas in my house right now. The garlic and spices have permeated every corner of every room and it's divine. This sauce will be so delicious mixed with a delicate angel hair pasta, a few sprigs of fresh basil and some generous shavings of Parmesan cheese. We might not be able to wait until winter to devour this creation!

Cherry-Poppin' Tomato Sauce

5 cups cherry tomatoes

4 cloves finely minced garlic

4 Tbsp. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Italian Seasoning to taste

Chili Pepper flakes to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and take stems off cherry tomatoes. Put in single layer in a baking dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, Italian Seasoning, chili pepper flakes and minced garlic. Pour olive oil over all of the tomatoes and gently toss with a spatula.

Bake in oven for 45 minutes. Let cool completely. Put in freezer bags or eat immediately as a sauce with pasta. This would also be good over toasted Italian or French bread slices.

A Corny Tip

Corn on the cob is a delightful eating experience but let's face it, sometimes you just don't feel like getting all messy and having to pick corn from between your teeth for the rest of the evening can be so unbecoming. On those occasions and also if you need fresh corn kernels for a recipe, it is necessary to cut the kernels off the cob.

The Husband has grown some wonderful corn this year and in the past I have taken on the tedious, somewhat dangerous task of holding the cob of corn precariously perched on a cutting board and de-kerneling it. This usually results in corn flying all of the kitchen, not to mention nearly cutting off a finger or two.
Not to long ago while watching the Food Network I saw someone (sorry I can't remember which show) utilizing the following technique: Take the husked ear of corn and place the small end down into the center of a bundt pan and slice the kernels off. It is a superb technique. The ear is secure and the kernels go down directly into the pan, alleviating the flying corn throughout the kitchen problem. A neat, tidy procedure.

The Cherry Tomato Harvest

Finally the cherry tomatoes are ripening faster than we can pop them in our mouths and eat so I decided to make salsa with some of them. I didn't want to make the run of the mill Salsa Cruda so I decided on a black bean salsa that I adapted from a recipe from a former employee.

It's delicious with chips of course, but also good as a salad on it's own or served as a side dish/sauce with fish such as red snapper. It couldn't be more simple to put together once you have all the chopping done which as I have mentioned before, I enjoy doing very much. I find mincing, chopping, and dicing therapeutic in a mind numbing kind of way. It's such a needed change from my often frantic office pace.

Black Bean Salsa
1 can of Black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 bag of frozen white corn kernels
1-2 jalapeno peppers, cored and seeded (dependent on individuals heat tolerance)
1 avocado, cubed
3 cups of quartered cherry tomatoes (any tomatoes will work)
cilantro leaves chopped to taste
1/3 cup finely minced white onion
Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup lime juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 large garlic cloves finely minced
Toss all of the salsa ingredients together in a bowl. Whisk the dressing together until emulsified then thoroughly mix into salsa. Let sit for an hour to combine flavors. Isn't it pretty?

A Pictorial Study in Green Beans

It was 98 degrees yesterday. It will be 100 degrees today. It's hot. The house is hot. I'm hot. But the garden likes the heat and the many, many bean plants are thriving so I was up at 6am this Saturday morning to go harvest and put up some beans before it becomes unbearable in the kitchen.

The process is so easy and will produce garden fresh beans all winter long with just a little effort now. Here's what I do in a brief narrative and I'll let the photos tell the whole story.

Freezing Green Beans
Use fresh beans (if you're lucky enough to have a nice spouse like The Husband who grows a garden) or go to your local farmers market and purchase some local produce.
Cut of tops and ends then wash thoroughly and drain.
Put in a pot of boiling water for 3 minutes (either left whole or cut to your liking).
Drain.
Immediately submerse in a bowl of ice water until cool.
Drain on paper towel.
Spread in single layer on cookie sheet and place in freezer until frozen.
Put in freezer bags and put date on bag. Enjoy all year long!

Above: Fresh picked and cut.

Above: Beans blanching in boiling water.

Above: Beans being shocked in ice water.

Above: Beans ready for flash freezing.

A Garden of Delights

The Husband has a wonderful vegetable garden going this year so I thought I would share a picture of the season's first tomato, almost ripe and ready for picking. We have plum and Big Boy tomato plants that will go so well with the sweet basil which is thriving. Many bush bean plants were put in the ground and we should be ready to harvest some in the next couple of weeks; small, tender haricot verts, left on longer to become long crunchy green beans. These are perfect steamed and then seasoned with salt and pepper or sauteed with a few small bacon pieces then dressed with a couple dashes of balsamic vinegar.



The corn couldn't be better than just cut directly off the cob, steamed for a matter of a couple minutes and a sprinkle of salt and a pat of butter applied. There are also corn puddings to be made and a delightful corn, basil and tomato salad I discovered last year which I hope to share when all my garden elements are ready to harvest.
Of course, every year we have a couple of pumpkin plants which tend to take over the garden; always amazing the tremendous growth from just two little seeds. Halloween Jack-O-Lanterns are always the end goal for the pumpkin harvest and also roasting the seeds to share with Gladys as they are one of her favorite treats.

Each year we have a vegetable garden I am so thankful for all the work and effort The Husband puts into it and the enjoyment we get from its bounty. Thank you dear!

Life Is A Bowl of Cherries

YEAH! The local cherries have arrived.