Posts Tagged ‘vegetables’

Yeah, that's right, I grew those myself. (Not pictured: More lettuce, more kale, more cucumbers.)

Can you believe all those vegetables? I still can't and I harvested all of those myself last night. We're now up to our noses in cucumber, lettuce and kale, but you're not going to hear me complain. It's safe to say I'm getting my five to 10 a day right now.

I'm still a little nervous about my peppers. Though a lot are growing, I'm not sure how long I leave them on the plant before they turn their proper colour (I really need to see what a chocolate pepper looks like!), any ideas?

And you should see my tomato plants - they've exploded. I think they're all up to my chest now and totally overtaking everything else. I can't even find my basil. I now realize why you're supposed to pinch off the suckers. This weekend's major project will be cutting back tomato branches. It's tough love, but someone's gotta do it!

What part of your garden are you most proud of?

Check out See to Supper for in-season gardening and cooking tips from Canadian Gardening and Canadian Living.

Looking forward to flat beans!

There's nothing quite lke a long weekend (followed by a four day work week!). I vividly remember blogging about last year's long weekend, I was away at a cottage and we enjoyed a variety of local, in-season produce. Fresh peaches, tasty blueberry, ripe tomatoes and Mill Street beer. OK, the last one isn't really produce, but extra tasty just the same.

I'll be heading to the same cottage again this weekend, and I look forward to the variety of produce on the way up there, with big family meals in mind, and that which I'll select on the way home so I can savour the taste in the city.

This year I'm looking most forward to flat beans (I find them hard to come by at the farmer's market). My mom used to prepare them with tomato sauce and they're to die for. I continue to do the same. They're always served with a crusty French baguette.

What's your favourite summer fruit or veggie? How to you prepare it?

There's nothing quite like a warm bowl of hearty soup!

I once heard that the song Pease Porridge Hot was based on how, in the good old days, a pot would sit on the wood burning stove and in it would go most kitchen scraps. And in this pot, from these scraps, would cook a hearty soup to feed the family. Now, I have no idea whether or not this is true, but ever since I heard it I thought it would be a great way to use up vegetables that are on the brink of going bad. I'm certainly more discriminating of what goes in the pot than maybe they would have been back in the day, but if it's in the fridge and looking a little tired then I start thinking about throwing together a speedy vegetable soup.

When I stuck my head in the fridge the other day I found some soft peppers, a tired-looking head of broccoli, a couple of half-used onions and a lonely carrot. I spent a few minutes chopping these veggies (plus a couple of potatoes) up. I sautéed the onions in a bit of olive oil, then added the rest of the veggies. I then added some vegetable broth and just let my soup simmer on the stove for about 45 minutes. Once it cooled down a bit, I gave it a whirl around the blender. Voila! A hearty vegetable soup my partner and I have been enjoying for a few days now. I always serve my soups with a fresh baguette!

The great thing about soups like these is that you can also freeze them. I usually freeze about half of my soup, so one day down the road when I need a quick dinner I'll just pull it out of the freezer.

Just think of all the vegetables you'll save from going in the compost - and all the money you'll save by not wasting your veggies

What do you do with the tired-looking fruits and veggies in your fridge? How do make sure not to waste your on-the-brink food?

If you need a bit more guidance when making a vegetable soup, here are some great recipes to try:
Hearty Vegetable Soup
Winter Lentil and Vegetable Soup
Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup

I made a trip to the St. Lawrence market in Toronto on Saturday morning. My culinary muscles were certainly twitching this weekend, and I felt like making a feast out of the beautiful produce that's literally at our finger tips this time of year.

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