By PAMELA MORRONE
In ancient times, the daily menu was determined by the animals that happened to be in the neighborhood or by which digestible plants were growing nearby at the time. It was feast or famine for the hunters and gatherers! Now it’s modern times, and the situation has not really changed all that much. From early spring until late in the fall, my garden and that of my neighbors and local vegetable stands determine what we will be eating.
When the rhubarb comes in at the next-door neighbor’s garden, I am planning to bake my favorite rhubarb coffee cake—so moist and not too sweet, and a small piece is perfect with my morning coffee. Next I make “easy peezy rhubarb sauce,” and when my friend comes over to help me—strawberry rhubarb pie. These recipes have been part of my springtime routine for so long that the paper (not a screen on the iPad) is torn and stained, yet none the worse for wear!
Lo! As rhubarb wanes, peas appear. Springtime Pea Soup makes me smile just to think about it. So sweet and fresh! But that’s if we don’t eat all the peas straight from the pods! Peas in our salads, peas in our pasta and rice, they sweeten up anything they inhabit. I even like the big starchy ones that were left on the vines too long.
What about the cucumbers and zucchini? When they come in, the abundance cannot be described adequately. Some gardeners say they will pay people to take them away! That’s nonsense! There is nothing like a cucumber straight from the garden. I can remember my grandmother gently bending over the tangled plants, pulling a perfect sleek specimen free from the grip of the vine, then using her apron to wipe the cucumber off before taking a bite. The crisp and juicy sound of that first bite resonates in my ears still. Cucumber salads with any kind of vinegar, a little salt and pepper and a thinly sliced red onion can’t be beat. Cucumbers in our sandwiches were welcome treats, too. The zucchini requires a bit more work, but I believe there are yet hundreds of zucchini recipes to be created. My zucchini bread will never be as good as my daughter’s because I tend to be an impatient baker, but it is delicious nevertheless. You can stuff a zucchini, fry it, roast it. My cousin shared an easy crustless zucchini quiche recipe made with Bisquick that is moist and yummy. If you are creative, zucchini makes a great appetizer; a bit of cheese, roasted red peppers, bread crumbs or whatever you can think of—zucchini goes with almost anything!
Now, tomatoes are in a class all by themselves. When the tomato season is good, the tomatoes can’t be beat. Tomato slices on a piece of fresh baguette is the height of sophisticated eating. Tomatoes come in all different sizes, shapes and colors and can be used in hundreds of ways. Whoever first thought of roasting tomatoes was a genius. The robust flavor and aroma add so much to any dish. Pizza with fresh tomatoes, basil and cheese with a little drizzle of a good olive oil enhances even rainy summer days! Chop them, stuff them, fry them, roast them, sauté them, eat them and keep eating them until October if you are lucky!
I haven’t mentioned the strawberries, blueberries and peaches that make summer such a great time of the year. Though I have never had much success growing strawberries, I figured after buying 10 plants and harvesting three strawberries one season (the birds and critters enjoyed any others that had appeared on the plants), they were just too expensive to access from my garden. But, when I stop at the stands and can get luscious pints straight from the farm, it’s a more economically sound plan. It’s straight to the kitchen to make shortcakes and to whip the cream! However, my Cheerios and yogurt are almost as happy to see the fruits of summer as I am. I used to pick berries in my younger days, but as much as I remember those expeditions fondly, I think they are just that—memories at this point.
Before you are ready, summer comes to an end and apples and pumpkins prevail. Apple pie, cobbler, baked apples, pumpkin pie (do people still actually make pumpkin pie from pumpkins?…all that work), pumpkin bread, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin latte??? Everything is pumpkin when October and November come around. Apples are still fun to pick; bending not required. And who doesn’t love going to a pumpkin patch? Do you try to find the biggest pumpkin, or are you choosy about the stem? And what would fall be without the cranberries?
We really haven’t strayed so far from our ancestors when you think about it. The foods of the seasons enrich our existence in ways that go beyond the nourishment they provide. The fact that we can get strawberries in December doesn’t seem to diminish the excitement of “real” strawberries from the farm. Frozen peas, even special “petite” peas, can be purchased from any market, yet those that come in their own natural packaging we seek with earnest desire. Our gardens and those of our neighbors and local farms add such pleasure to mealtime. The sensation of a bite into a perfect apple, the aroma of the tomato sauce cooking on the stovetop, the simple appearance of a basket of just-picked vegetables is art, it’s heaven, it’s love. Our ancestors had feast or famine. We are so fortunate to have a festival!
Apple Dutch Baby
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup flour
1¼ tsp vanilla
3 TBSP sugar
¼ tsp salt and pinch
3 TBSP unsalted butter
1 large apple
¼ tsp cinnamon
Confectioners’ sugar
Purée eggs, milk, flour, 1 tsp vanilla and salt. Preheat cast iron skillet, cover with 2 TBSP butter in an oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour in batter. Bake until golden brown for 16 to 20 minutes. In a small skillet, melt 1 TBSP butter, stir in apple, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5 minutes, add vanilla and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Gently top Dutch Baby with apples and dust with confectioners’ sugar.
Pumpkin Cookies
½ cup softened butter
1½ TBSP sugar
2½ cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup mashed pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
3 TBSP milk
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 TBSP pecans chopped
Mix butter, sugar, egg, pumpkin, oil, vanilla and milk. Combine spices, salt, flour, powder and soda. Gently fold wet and dry ingredients together with pecans. By spoonful scoop onto greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes.
Fresh Pear And Cranberry Pie
Pastry for single-crust pie
8 cups ripe pears
1 cup fresh cranberries
¼ cup sugar
3 TBSP cornstarch
2 TBSP apple cider or water
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP caramel topping
On prepared uncooked pie crust arrange half of pears. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cranberries. Arrange remaining pears. In bowl stir ¼ cup sugar, cornstarch, cider and nutmeg. Drizzle over pears, cover with foil loosely, bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes, remove foil and bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes. Cook remaining cranberries and caramel in saucepan for 1 minute, and spoon over hot pie.