I came home from the farmers’ market the other day and was struck by the shapes of the fruits and vegetables my mom and I had hunted and gathered. They were full—the flesh of the tomatoes was pushing against their skins so much that they cracked from the strain. The blueberries were their adorable little orbed selves, and the Lion’s Mane mushrooms fuzzed out in fungular glory. So, as one does (if one is me), I brought them out to the porch and took photographs of them (more after the jump).
When it comes to summer produce, I think the most difficult aspect of cooking it is leaving it well enough alone. Keep it simple. Less is more. The other day I was talking to a chef friend of mine, and I told him that I'd just made a killer tomato salad. But then I realized I had done nothing more than cut up tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, and basil, douse it all with some good oil and balsamic, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and put it in my mouth. The fresh tomatoes and cucumbers did most of the heavy lifting. He agreed about not messing with ingredients too much, and said that winter is the most interesting time for his restaurant. It's also the season when he’s proudest of their work because he and his team have to get creative. “But,” he said, “I do love the bounty of summer.”
So I guess all I’m saying is that I'm reveling in the late summer bounty these days, and that you should go to the nearest farmer’s market, buy some tomatoes, and eat them. Maybe with some oil. Definitely with some salt.
(I had some fuzzy photographic help)
Also, my mother and I recently harvested a lot of the lavender from her garden and it smelled as good as it looked:
(Not lavender).
