The garden is currently at its prime which means I am happy again. I just had a conversation on the phone this morning with my buddy and we agreed that here in Colorado our fresh vegetables will all have to come from the grocery store before too long. After checking the garden yesterday I see the cucumbers, tomatoes, and basil are all ready so we will be putting them to use here today.

There are two rules in the culinary world that should never be broken. Of course this is hard to do if they are not written down anywhere but they should be on the first page off every cookbook. Rule one is fresh tomatoes are always served with fresh basil. Rule two is never serve cheese with fish. Today we will put rule one to use. A fresh tomato is hard to beat when it is picked out of the garden. Knowing the red is coming only from being mature and additive free puts the flavor alone over the top. Of course there is nothing better than fresh grown herbs. We have a two year old grand daughter ( one of five) who will stand at garden and eat fresh basil right off the stem. This is fine but we have to keep an eye on her or she would stand there and eat until all my basil was gone. Let’s get our salads going for the day:

Basil and Cucumber Salad

5 medium tomatoes, sliced

1/3 cup green olives, chopped

1/2 cup fresh mozzarella, cubed

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons fresh basil, coursely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

white pepper, to taste

Place sliced tomatoes, chopped olives, and cubed cheese on a serving platter. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well mixed. Pour dressing over tomatoes and chill well before serving.

Creamed Cucumbers

3 large fresh cucumbers

3 Tablespoons fresh chives, chopped

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1 container sour cream, 8 oz

Thinly slice peeled cucumbers and set aside. Combine remaning ingredients and whisk until blended well. Pour dressing over sliced cucumbers and stir. Chill well before serving.

That should take care of a few things in the garden. Now what to do with the carrots, onions, peppers, etc, etc. Should I chance turning the oven on for carrot cake?

Share this on