Recipes on Repeat
Teresa here. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been sneaking out every day during the hottest part of the afternoon to eat a cherry tomato (or seven) right when they’re getting blasted by the heat. My Purple Bumblebees (from our friends @ Next Generation Organics) are the stars of my garden. They’re a “two-bite” cherry tomato that pack a ton of flavor - especially when warmed by the sun. Today during my tomato snack break, I literally said out loud to Fig, my dog, “There really is nothing like this.” She agreed.
A proud pup (Fig!) with last year’s harvest
Our GFG maintenance gardens are loaded with summer fruits and veggies, so we thought it’d be fun to share the recipes that the GFG team has been enjoying on repeat lately. When I reached out to Jamie, Gina and Yesenia I got three recipes that looked a lot like the one I chose - a refreshing summer salad using ingredients that are thriving in our gardens right now (e.g. cucumbers, tomatoes, and herbs. You might say that great stomachs think alike.
As promised, here are some of our favorite summer recipes right now. We know they’re super similar, but we thought you might have fun playing around with these different variations. Enjoy.
Gina shared a recipe from her neighbors Celinda and Scott (who we recently posted about) that they shared at a gathering for The North End Alley Project. This is a recipe that has been shared lovingly among neighbors. Who doesn’t love a recipe that brings people together?
Ingredients:
2 cucumbers chopped
1 honeydew melon chopped
2 tbsp fresh mint minced/torn
2 tbsp local honey
3 tbsp lime juice
Pinch of salt
Directions: Mix honey, lime juice, mint, and salt in a small bow. Pour over chopped melon and cucumber. Yum!
One of our maintenance harvests ready for the salad bowl.
Yesenia’s go-to summer recipe is also a fun combination of tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs. Her three girls love to go out to the garden with her to pick the ingredients and help her to make this family favorite. It’s always a hit at a summer party.
Ingredients:
6 tomatoes (cut into wedges, different colors if you have them)
1 English cucumber (cut into slices and then halved)
1 large avocado, chopped
3 tbsp thinly sliced red onion
¼ cup chopped basil
3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions: Place tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, and red onion in a large bowl. Sprinkle salad with fresh basil. Drizzle balsamic vinegar and olive oil over the salad. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
A recent harvest in a maintenance garden.
I’ve been obsessed with Mark Bittman’s Greek-style watermelon salad from The New York Times. The watermelon and fresh garden tomatoes are unbelievably refreshing and the feta and olives and a punchy, salty kick. I’ve made it for company, brought it to friends, eaten it by the spoonful out of a tupperware in the fridge …. don’t judge me.
Ingredients:
3 cups cubed watermelon
2 large ripe tomatoes
1 medium cucumber
1 small red onion
⅓ cup pitted Kalamata olives
⅓ cup crumbled feta
Some chopped parsley and mint
Olive oil and red-wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Directions: In a large bowl combine 3 cups cubed watermelon; 2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped (I like to drain them for 20 minutes before adding them to the salad); 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped; 1 small red onion, sliced; ⅓ cup pitted kalamata olives; ⅓ cup crumbled feta; and some chopped parsley and mint. Drizzle with olive oil and red-wine vinegar, sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss and serve.
Taking a break for a team pic during an early morning harvest this week.
Jamie’s favorite salad starts the same way each time. She begins by marinating the red onion while cooking the rest of dinner. When it’s time to serve, she mixes in the rest of the ingredients. Hooch, our GFG Golden Retriever mascot, loves this salad too and often enjoys a bit of watermelon or tomato that might accidentally fall onto the floor. This salad is also very similar, but adds a fun spicy kick with the hot pepper and red onion.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
½ a small onion (red or sweet white)
Pinch of salt
3 small roma tomatoes or 1 large salad tomato
3 small sweet peppers or 1 large bell pepper
3 cups cubed watermelon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or basil
½ small jalapeno (optional)
The best olive oil you can find
Flakey sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
Directions: Thinly slice the onion and place it in the bowl you’ll serve the salad in. Drizzle it with vinegar and add a pinch of salt. Then, continue making dinner and layer on the rest of your ingredients from there. I like to use a variety of chopping styles to keep the salad crunchy, and you can feel free to add in any odds/ends from your pantry like olives, sun-dried tomatoes, pumpkin seeds. I drizzle the whole assembly with my favorite olive oil, sprinkle some sea salt and add fresh cracked pepper over the top. When you’re ready to eat, toss and serve.
Let us know if you give any of these a try or if you have another great summer recipe to recommend. Happy Harvesting