A Little Food, A Little Nature and Your Tribe
Gathering to dine al fresco or bringing the garden in to you, is the essence of summer and a complete sensory feast. The taste of the food, the sound of the crickets, the swirling scent of the garden, the flowers on your table and the fresh veggies in your salad bowl mixed with the happy musings of your guests, all come together to create your perfect summer bliss.
As I ponder summer and its delicious offerings, I smile out loud thinking about the bright colors and freshly picked food from my garden, the stories shared with friends, and a glass of cool wine. These are the essential ingredients for my perfect summer table.
No more store-bought flowers for me and my meals are all about what I can pair from the garden. I now start my day with coffee on the back deck, admiring my happy vegetable patch below. Pure joy!
When I was growing up, every chance for a picnic was seized, whether with family or the whole community. I remember those summer potlucks on the main green in our small town, right across from the college. Now, with my own family, I’ve continued this love of outdoor dining and summer culinary adventures. Whether on our back deck, at music festival campsites, or anywhere else we could imagine, we made it happen. We could set up a kitchen or a quick outdoor meal just about anywhere. And all of it was made better by the bounties of summer.
My first, and perhaps favorite shift in my cooking during these months is using fresh herbs over dried. There are a few fresh herbs that I will buy at the grocery store over the winter when needed. For example, dried parley is useless so when in need, I complain about the price but make the buy nonetheless. The same goes for other leafy herbs like basil. The dried versions are so far removed from the fresh that they are just a waste. Things like dill and thyme on the other hand, perform pretty well in their dried iterations. Having said that, nothing compares to the zen-like joy of harvesting a handful of fresh basil or tarragon, rubbing a bit of fresh lavender between your fingers, or bringing to your marinade a combination of lemon and German thyme for the perfect grilled chicken breast. And as I have not yet ventured into the world of “greenhousing”, I must patiently await the natural turn of the season for this joy to begin. At this point, just about everything I make has some amalgam of what I can pick from my back deck container herbs and what is dancing in and around my veggies.
My most recent herby creations, made for a little get together with Anna and Scott, were a yummy grilled lemon/thyme chicken breast, rosemary skewered baby new potatoes, a shrimp/dill and tomato salad and a vibrant chickpea, veggie and mint salad. The next week we celebrated hanging my backyard lights with an al fresco dinner of homemade pizza and a salad of garden greens with nasturtiums.
All of your summer culinary adventures should be a riot of beauty, vibrant colors, delicious textures, fresh flavors, and fabulous company—everything that makes you smile out loud!
Cheers!