I headed out to the garden yesterday morning planning to do some hoeing and weeding. But first, I thought, maybe I ought to see if anything needs picking. Two and a half hours later, I staggered into the house with about ten pounds of purple beans at least fifteen pounds of cucumbers, some broccoli, zucchini, lettuce, and Tuscan kale.
I spent the afternoon dealing with the bounty. I turned about 2/3's of the cukes into my favorite summer salad. (It keeps well in the refrigerator for several days.)
Thin sliced cucumbers and onions, toasted black sesame seeds, garlic salt, sesame oil, and rice vinegar -- so easy.
Then there were all those beans to snap -- a quietly meditative task.
By the time the beans were snapped, it was too late to begin blanching them -- I'll tackle that today.
I did saute some for supper -- in butter with a bit of salt and thyme.
Notice that the purple changes to green as they cook.
But what about the zucchini and kale? Ah, they ended up in a truly delicious quiche. Really, it was yummers. (The homemade pie crust didn't hurt.) With the cucumber salad and the sauteed beans, it was a pleasant summer meal. (With leftovers for lunch today!)
Here's a LINK to the recipe that I followed, more or less. Rather than blanch the kale, I just added it to the almost sauteed zucchini till it wilted. Of course, Tuscan (or black) kale is especially tender. And I baked the pie crust for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients.