Monday, May 2, 2011

Kitchen Firsts & Lasts

So much changes in the kitchen this time of year. Out winter stockpile dwindles just as we transplant the new seedlings. We simultaneously welcome fresh ingredients and say goodbye to all those hearty cold-weather recipes. Firsts and lasts abound.


~first corn, last jars of freezer jam and pesto~


~First green smoothie, last frozen blueberries, picked in July~


~first store-bought garlic, last batch of lentil soup~

I am keeping my fingers crossed that this is the year I planted enough garlic to get us though until the next harvest. That this is the year we pick not ten, but twenty pounds of blueberries. That this is the year I jar up double the amounts of jams and tomatoes. That this is the year we rely more on our own food production than ever before. 

What comfort foods are you saying goodbye to for the summer? What things are you welcoming back into your warm-weather kitchen?

6 comments:

  1. Oh, I am so looking forward to strawberry picking ... and fresh basil. I love tomato and fresh basil with a little feta, salt and pepper. Mmmm, so good. Looking forward to hearing more of your garden adventures. :-)

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  2. That all looks so good Amy! We can't wait for fresh peas - I plant more and more each year and none ever make it into the kitchen - I think between us we could eat a whole field of raw peas! Good luck with the garlic :D

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  3. Amy, this is so great! As I got out the last bag of frozen soy beans this week and planted the new ones outside on the same day I also had this idea for a post...and then immediately forgot about it...until I read this! Birds of a feather, yes?
    I'm looking forward to it stop raining so we can keep planting. Usually i set out my tomatoes on May 5th, but this year it would be more timely to be planting rice...CRAZYNESS!!!

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  4. Love the first and last! We still have a ton of freezer jam and frozen blueberries. I love the idea of eating more of our own food. Let us know how the garlic planting goes! I hope to finish our planting this weekend!

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  5. I don't preserve much, we have a small house with no storage space, and a small freezer (compared to US standards, but actually average-big for European ones). I make jam, and some tomato sauce - so my goal really is to have at least some food from the garden all year around. I'm saying goodbye to many legumes and polenta, and saying welcome to my tomato and basil seedlings - the key ingredients of summer meals over here.

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  6. I like this. Mostly because in our climate, I am SO behind in my planting. I should have had seedlings in 2 months ago, not this week!

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