For the past month or so, I've received countless peaches, at least 15 ears of corn and about as many tomatoes. And as a favor for watching my neighbors' cats, they stopped at a farm stand to buy me peaches, corn, and tomatoes. The fruit flies in my house are having a heck of a buffet so I'm trying to come up with ways to use all of this before they turn to mush. So here's what I've done so far:
Tomatoes:
- Salsa: Good for chips, tacos, burritos, any Mexican dish, and to top fish or chicken. (This recipe is for Fish Tacos, but the salsa in the recipe can be used for ANYthing).
- Gazpacho: This is best eaten fresh, and can last for up to 5 days in the fridge. It's my favorite summer soup and so refreshing. (This recipe by Alton Brown is so simple to make).
- Marinara: Freeze to use for chicken parmesan, lasagna, spaghetti, or any other pasta dish.
- Bolognese: This is how I get my daughter to eat zucchini (I shred it into the tomatoes and she never knows it's there). I also add ground turkey or beef if it's not a meatless night.
Corn:
- Creamed corn
- Cut the corn off the cob and freeze to eat later
- Grilled corn on the cob- This recipe says to leave on the husks, but I take them off to get that charring on the outside & it still turns out yummy.
- Corn Cakes: This recipe is sweeter, or you could add cheese (& delete the honey) which would be great to go on top of chili.
- Mexican Salad: This is a great summer potluck dish. It can sit out room temperature and is delicious. Instead of the balsamic vinaigrette I squeeze 1 lime and toss.
Peaches:
- Grill & top with ice cream- Check out this recipe with whipped cream & caramel.
- Make preserves- Although I haven't tried this yet, it seems extremely simple.
- Cobbler- I chose Paula Deen's recipe because no one does Southern cooking like she does.
- Salsa- Great with pork, fish, or chicken. Or just on top of rice for a vegetarian dish.
Hopefully, these recipes will help you use up the produce you have on your counter or in your fridge. This is the season to get the freshest produce for cheap. And if you're adventurous enough, you can also can these fruits and veggies to last you throughout the year. Canning, along with composting, is something I'd like to try out sometime in the future, and hopefully by that point it'll come out of my very own garden. :)
Buon Appetit!!
(PS: I apologize for my lack of posts. My excuse is that it's summer, the kids are out of school, and I'm VERY pregnant. I hope to pick up the frequency of posts by next week, after the kids have gone back to school and I can get my routine back. Thanks for reading!)
