Mother Talkers

Super Summer Supping

by Amy

Sun Jul 15, 2007 at 10:54:07 PM PDT

I ate the last apricot while my son was napping. All of the sweet and none of the mess. The iconic, sensual fruit experience of "juice dripping down the chin" is overrated; now that I'm a mom I spend entirely too much time cleaning sticky trails from chins, chests, legs, arms, tables, and floors. The soft little fruit felt like Jude's head when he was a baby.

When he awoke from his nap and discovered the last apricot gone, he was pissed. He stormed around, cursing me. So when I went to the farmers' market yesterday, a big bag of Blenheims topped my list. But they were gone! The apricot season blows by faster than my desire for them, which lingers. But the peaches were out in full force. I filled my pack and pedaled home.

I'm trying to change, trying to integrate some new habits. I'm trying to eat seasonally (and to ween my lazy ass from the car). Of course, this can be pretty limiting; that's why people don't do it! On the flip side, the pleasure can be intense when the flavors are peaking. Food that is grown closer to home is picked riper. And of course, you value a thing more when you don't have constant access to it. Absence does makes the heart grow fonder.

My first step was to cut out a chart from the food section of the paper that lists seasonal food. (Scroll down to the bottom of the article for the chart.) I've taped it to my kitchen wall and glance at it before grocery shopping or figuring out menu items for the week. Here's what it says for the current season:

SUMMER
(June or July): Honey, sweet corn, tomatoes, fresh lavender, green beans, apricots, salmon, buffalo, beef, homemade ice cream.

HEIGHT OF SUMMER
(July and August): Basil and other fresh herbs, eggplant, peppers, heirloom tomatoes, peaches and nectarines galore, salmon, cucumbers, melons, grapes

  • ::

Googling around for recipes that include food from the seasonal chart, I found this 20-minute dinner that was SO yummy and simple and easy. It was a total hit with my guys (who don't fake enjoyment) and contained four seasonal ingredients (peaches, mint, basil, and zucchini, which comes on the scene in early summer and keeps on churning out green penises until no one can stand it anymore...)

Turkey & Peaches with Lemony Mint Zucchini on the side

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, chopped
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 tablespoon butter (or less)
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh lemon juice to taste

  1. Melt butter in saucepan (medium heat). Add zukes and salt and stir.
  1. Cover pan and let the zukes steam themselves for a few minutes (5?) until tender.
  1. Add mint, salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze some lemon on top and toss to combine.

½ cup fresh basil leaves, cut into strips.
2 firm-ripe peaches or nectarines, sliced
3 tablespoons butter (or less)
4 thin turkey breast slices (about 1 pound)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ cup dry red wine

  1. Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Dust the turkey slices on both sides with the flour, salt, pepper.
  1. When the butter is sizzling, add the turkey slices to the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes per side, until browned and no longer pink in the thickest part. Transfer the slices to a plate.
  1. Add the wine to the skillet and stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom. Add the peaches and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes, until the wine is reduced slightly. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the peach/wine/basil sauce over the turkey.

Now I'm not going whole hog with the idea of eating seasonally--we're pretty addicted to our bananas and coffee shipped from the tropics. We're just taking some steps in that direction because the benefits to the environment and the local economy are significant. And so far, so good.

As we licked our plates and the humming died down, I thought this is no sacrifice.

Tags: food, cooking, seasonal, recipes (all tags)

Permalink | 13 comments

  • local peaches and apricots (0 / 0)

    My grandmother's house had two large mature apricot trees, and I grew up with boxes and boxes and boxes of apricots. Fabulous apricots.

    And then, when I grew up, I would buy them.. and ewwwwww. I figured apricots were gone forever.

    But then I started trying them at the farmer's market, and this year especially I've been gorging.

    Usually I wait for our own peaches, but this year I have already bought dozens of them. I hope ours will be ready soon.

    Two of my favorite peach 'recipes' - one, slice and eat with full fat plain yogurt. Second, grill them on the BBQ.

    I've tried making them into pies, and the pies are good, but no better than just eating them plain. So why bother with all the trauma of pie?

    by shenanigans on Mon Jul 16, 2007 at 12:28:25 AM PDT

    • chutneys and relishes (0 / 0)

      This year, now that I have my stuff relatively together, I'd like to "put up" some jars of fruit and experiment with chutneys and relishes. Peaches and apricots apparently make fantastic ones.

      Other thing I want to try is to preserve soft fruits in liquor - apparently, it makes an absolutely sinful combination for desserts.

      by Rachel on Mon Jul 16, 2007 at 01:32:55 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  • yum (0 / 0)

    you made my mouth water with your discription!

    The thing I love about seasonal eating is the fact that you get to appreciate the fruits and veg at their peak of ripeness and flavor. The down side, of course, is not having them for months and months!

    by Rachel on Mon Jul 16, 2007 at 01:30:58 AM PDT

  • It's less expensive, too (0 / 0)

    Generally foods that are in season cost less, so that is another good reason to go for them. DH and my FIL both have bountiful vegetable gardens, so it's great to sit down to dinner with a pile of fresh green beans that were just picked. We don't have enough room for fruit other than some scrawny strawberries, and my FIL has raspberries, so I do enjoy the selection this time of year from the market.

    by jenna on Mon Jul 16, 2007 at 06:03:07 AM PDT

  • I know how your son feels (0 / 0)

    I'm a huge fan of honeycrisp apples, invented right here by the University of Minnesota.  Their season is usually Aug-Nov, if you're lucky.  Even though they aren't here, I still find myself longingly looking around the produce section every time I go shopping.  It's one fruit I'm sort of wishing they'd figure out how to grow longer.

    by cynmill on Mon Jul 16, 2007 at 11:55:12 AM PDT

  • Yummy! (0 / 0)

    I'm trying to eat more locally and seasonally as well, which is EASY in the summer but will be tougher in December and January... not sure how much I'll stick with it then.

    I love this time of year.  The tastiest, juiciest peaches, nectarines, cherries, etc.  LOVE it.

    Katherine

    by pat of butter in a sea of grits on Mon Jul 16, 2007 at 01:35:54 PM PDT

  • Another resource (0 / 0)

    The Mennonite Central Committee did some cookbooks to promote seasonal eating:

    Simply in Season

    We are getting a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box this summer and since I don't know what to do with half the stuff we get, I checked out their cookbooks.  I went with the children's version as it has lots of great pictures and graphics and thought it might get the kids into trying new things.  They also have a chocolate cake recipe that you make with beets, so it can't be all bad, right?

    Jen

    by MrsPastor on Mon Jul 16, 2007 at 02:57:58 PM PDT

  • love seasonal food! (0 / 0)

    summer is always my time for tomato, basil, onion and buffalo mozzarella cheese salads...oh and yummy corn on the cob!  salmon too.  last weekend, dh and i spent a day fishing while cruising down the Rogue River and caught 10 trouts. trout on the grill with garlic, olive oil, onions and lemon..now that was a yummy summer meal!

    i have been a farmer's market and organic gal for a long long time.  summer is one time i really enjoy family meals with so much fresh fruit and veggies...hardly need to cook at all :)

    thanks for the recipes amy!

    by parentalunit1 on Mon Jul 16, 2007 at 03:41:20 PM PDT

  • seasonal eating is great! (0 / 0)

    In certain sections of the country - like ours - it can be a little challenging.  Not too much is growing here from roughly the end of October until the middle of April.  

    Even in our little back-deck garden, we've got basil, cilantro, two different kinds of mint, and it looks like we'll be getting some cucumbers and chiles too.  

    We're thinking of budgeting for a CSA membership next year; there are a couple of farms that are close by, like less than 20 miles close, and one that isn't very close but has a delivery point that's not far.  DH isn't convinced it's worth the upfront cash.  I'm working on him, though...

    by Mamagoth on Tue Jul 17, 2007 at 06:12:14 AM PDT

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