2014 garden favorites

Almost Fall. Well, in fact, it is Fall, but here in northern California, Fall is our real Summer. So it's hot, not colorful like Fall is in other places. The summer vegetables know it's Fall, nevertheless, and they are on their way out. We still have fabulous tomatoes, and chard, and peppers, but soon...very soon...we'll be uprooting these and planting winter crops.



What were our favorite summer vegetables of 2014? Without a doubt they were the Brandywine heirloom tomatoes (OMG) and the padron peppers. The heirlooms were just plain delicious - green and dark red and not always the most beautiful classic tomatoes - but their taste told the true story. Sweet, they were really sweet. And tomato-y. Wow.




The padrons, well they are some good tasting peppers. Green, they're mild and wonderful fried up whole with a little salt. Red, they have a kick, and are best cut up in beans, or rice, or with chicken or pork, or in salsa. They have such a good taste! I still have a whole bunch that I'm drying, day by day, in the sun on the front porch. We'll enjoy them all winter long.

Cooking up a storm

Cooking is another of my passions. How many passions is one allowed? Ten? Maybe twenty? I hope so. I am a woman of many interests ... ahem, passions.

You may not know I write a cooking column for the online newpaper Examiner.com. If you've ever scrambled for a new idea for dinner, or wondered what in the world to do with an excess of bell peppers that are going to go bad soon, you might want to take a look. I write about food I make for dinner. Usually I take a photo of the food as I cook it or as I put it on the table, and then I put the recipe up if it's a keeper.

Here are a couple of recent recipes, one for sauteed peppers with brussel sprouts and potatoes and another for Mabel's Calico Beans.  Well, Mabel's beans at least should resonate with readers from my old home place in Minnesota - it's exactly the kind of thing we used to hope would appear at the church suppers our moms dragged us to. Not to mention Mabel was a South Dakota girl, so kind of in the "neighborhood".

Tonight I made pizza for the first time in years. The crust was fabulous. The toppings could be improved. What are the best toppings for homemade pizza, my friends? When I get it down, I'll share.

BTW, I finished the giraffe skirt. I'll show you a photo tomorrow.