July is the peak of the summer garden season, so here are some ways to enjoy your garden goodies. First, here’s a dish I’ll call a Summer Bowl, featuring whatever seasonal favorites you like, both fresh and cooked. Served cold, it’s a one-dish meal that’s also a perfect side for summer potlucks. That’s when I first made it, as a dish to bring to a gathering. It was well received, so I knew it would be perfect to share on TV with my Daytime friends.
My Summer Bowl has cooked corn off the cob, diced mini potatoes (red, Yukon, and purple), and shrimp. To that, I added lots of fresh veggies: diced cucumber, grape tomatoes cut in half, diced bell pepper, and chopped onion. To bring it all together and add a pop of flavor, I made a vinaigrette using delicious products from Olive Oil Divine. For this one, I chose their Italian Herb olive oil paired with their Champagne white balsamic vinegar. But they have so many options you really can’t go wrong with any of them. You can find a line of their crafted oils and vinegars at your local Food City or learn more at their website https://oliveoildivine.com/
For my vinaigrette, I used 1/4 cup of oil and 3 tablespoons of the Champagne balsamic vinegar. I added a teaspoon of Green Goddess seasoning (there are several versions out there), chopped fresh herbs from my garden, and a dash of salt. It was enough to dress 6 cups total of my veggies and shrimp. I topped off my bowl with some Feta cheese and kept it in the fridge until time to serve.
But your Summer Bowl can be completely different. Use the veggies you like. You could add zucchini or summer squash cooked al dente. You can do thin slices of carrot or celery. Add some minced garlic or thinly sliced radishes, even cooked beets. You can skip the shrimp and use diced chicken or add garbanzo beans or lentils and keep it vegan. Adding pine nuts gives it a Mediterranean flair, but other nuts would work as well. Even bacon bits or quinoa can get in on the action. It’s a simple dish that doesn’t take long to put together and can easily reflect the flavors and foods you love the most.
The herb garden is another place to find lots of summer flavor. I know in mine, it’s hard to keep up with deheading all the basil this time of year. But in a few months, only a few hardy herbs will remain, so now is the time to enjoy the bounty.
One way to enjoy your herbs is to make a compound butter. For this one, salted butter works best. Soften a stick, put it in a small glass container, and then add a generous amount of your favorite finely chopped herbs. Fresh herbs aren’t as concentrated in flavor as dried ones, so don’t skimp. I made a butter flavored with parsley, rosemary, lemon thyme, basil, and sage. Compound butter is perfect to spread on toasted bread, to add flavor to baked potatoes or steamed veggies, or to top a juicy steak.
Basil is well known for making pesto and pairing with fresh-sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and balsamic vinegar. But have you ever tried it muddled in lemonade or sweet tea? Fresh mint and pineapple sage work well in all sorts of drinks. You’re just limited to your imagination.
As a side note, if you are a gardener like I am, you know each season has winners and losers. This year our weather has been wacky and, on my end, I transitioned to all raised beds. My new soil isn’t dialed in yet, and even with my best efforts, some crops haven’t met my expectations. But that’s OK. We celebrate the wins, learn from the losses, and savor the process along the way. I gain so much joy from stepping out in my garden and gathering crops I raised to feed myself and share with others.
Herbs best release their aroma when crushed, something to remember the next time we face trials and hardships.
It’s worth the struggle.