Heirloom Tomato Chutney

The tomatoes are coming! As summer continues to heat up, the next couple months will bring us piles and piles of ripe tomatoes. The number of varieties of heirloom tomatoes is pretty staggering: there are bright yellow lemon boys, Paul Robeson black tomatoes, Cherokee purple tomatoes and pantano romanesco, a meaty Roman heirloom the color of blood. And these barely scrape the surface of different varieties.

Fried Green Tomatoes

If you're lucky enough to have tomato plants at home, and people seem to really love growing tomatoes pretty much everywhere I've been, you are now in the era of patience. In our greenhouse, we have so many tomato plants they are creating their own microclimate! I started buying tomatoes back in February, I was so excited about summer even though it was still months away. And now the vines are filled with fruit, staked and tied and growing taller by the day. But the fruit is green! Tomatoes love to ripen at the hottest time towards the end of summer, and in Northern California that means August, September, even October. 

So if you're hella impatient like we are, and you feel like a special treat worthy of the old South, slice, dredge and fry up those green tomatoes.

Grilled Artichokes

Eat more flowers! Springtime is a perfect time to celebrate with colorful, delicate petals and flowers. We love to garnish with the tender blossoms of herbs like rosemary, sage or basil. Bright and flavorful squash blossoms are another favorite this time of year. But one edible flower is not delicate at all, it is sharp, strong and knobby: the humble yet magnificent artichoke.

Baby Zucchini with Flowers

I'm not going to sugar coat this: it already feels like summer in the Bay Area. It has been sunny, warm and clear most days this Spring. This year more than any other, even with the mild temperatures, I was ready for winter to be over as soon as we celebrated the new year. The short, dark days left me craving more... especially when we had a Greenhouse (or two) in our back yard waiting to come back to life as the days get longer and the sun gets brighter. Well now it has happened so fast I hardly know what to do with myself... all the seeds that I sprouted beginning in the late winter months are already bearing fruit! As far as the plants are concerned, in the hot box that is our Greenhouse, it's already summer! It is humid, hot and bursting with life.

Cheers to Friday!

Last Friday evening I came home from work exhausted and beyond ready for the weekend to begin. Kyle greeted me with excitement, explaining that we had our first summer strawberry harvest! The strawberries were plump, bright red and READY to be devoured. I looked down and noticed our mint was bursting out of it's pot and remembered that we had a bottle of Rosé chilling in the refrigerator. With a burst of energy that only comes when you know you're about have a cocktail from the garden, I bounded into the kitchen and whipped up a Refreshing Strawberry Spritzer! It was the perfect way to begin our Friday night and I can assure you that we'll be enjoying this light, refreshing cocktail again tonight! 

Refreshing Strawberry Spritzer

Feel free to make this spritzer your own by adding as much of each ingredient as you like!  

Ingredients:

1 bottle of Rosé
1 bottle of Seltzer
3 sprigs of Fresh Mint
8 Strawberries (with the tops removed)

Method 
Lay out for wine glasses.  In each glass slice a strawberry and tear up 3 mint leaves. Add as much wine as you think fit (we filled the glass a bit less then half) and top of with cold seltzer.  Use remaining strawberries and mint as a garnish.

Herbed Couscous Salad

The short, chilly days of winter are upon us. But as the days begin to lengthen and the sun begins to shine, we can feel the promise of spring and summer on the horizon. Here in Northern California, the cold rainy winters may not be good for tomatoes and stone fruits and other summer delights, but even in the dead of winter, we can get fantastic greens. Greens seem brighter and more alert in the winter, and our bodies are even more eager for the chlorophyll and nutrients that includes! Herbs like mint and parsley are widely available year-round, and full of fresh, clean flavors. Baby wild arugula, peppery and intense, mixes nicely with the herbal notes. This recipe uses the three herbs like greens rather than seasoning, leaving the leaves whole and tossing them with whole wheat couscous for a hearty and refreshing dish. If you are as lucky as we are and you have a mom who preserves her bountiful summer crop of serrano chiles by making a flavorful sambal (chile paste), then by all means, make it as spicy as you like.


Herbed Couscous Salad
Feel free to use any combination of your favorite herbs, also try substituting quinoa, millet or another grain for the couscous.

INGREDIENTS:
about 4 cups cooked whole wheat couscous, chilled or at room temperature
about 1 cup packed baby arugula leaves
1 bunch mint, whole leaves removed from stems
1 bunch parsley, whole leaves removed from stems
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
salt, to taste
sambal or chile paste, 2 tablespoons or to taste

METHOD:
Combine couscous, arugula, mint and parsley in mixing bowl. Stir to incorporate. Whisk together all remaining ingredients to make a dressing. Stir in dressing and taste couscous for seasoning.

Green Pesto

Grilled Vegetable Platter with 3 sauces: Olive Tapenade, Green Pesto and Mushroom Pâté

Yes, it's fall! We love this time of year, with the leaves changing, the chimneys coming alive with smoke and a chill in the air. Wait a second... this is San Francisco, and October is feeling very different than your typical fall moment. Any month of the year, cold foggy nights and gray sweater weather can dominate. But for a few magical days, it is hot day and night, everyone is smiling and tan in their shorts and this metropolis by the bay actually feels like California.