Ratatouille & Melon Salad
What? You were too busy enjoying the last lazy, crazy days of summer to plan a menu for Labor Day? Pit-stop at your local farmstand or farmers’ market to get the seasonal essentials for a winning holiday supper.
Artichokes
Today we take a crack at solving the mysteries of the pointedly intimidating vegetable that tastes too good not to try to cook. When something’s in season, we can’t let ourselves be intimidated.
Green Bell Peppers
This is the story of a dreaded vegetable rising to the occasion of being a true team player when managed by a culinary coach whose palate is attuned to balance. The lesson learned? It’s not that you don’t like a certain food, it’s just that you haven’t had it prepared the way you like it.
Pole Beans
Jolly giants of vines at Two Barn Farm in Pittstown yield deeply flavorful green, yellow and purple beans that can be turned, quickly, into a seasonal supper that celebrates produce at its height.
A Step with Pep
Not that we’d ever tire of prime-season Jersey tomatoes and their high-summer mates, but there’s a simple way to give our favorites an extra pop of flavor.
Team Tomato
Peak season and time to partner our beloved Jersey love apples with not only the usual suspects, but a basket of familiar fruits. Follow the lead of the titans of the seasonal toss at Razza and bliss out – right now.
What to Do with Honeydew
Cool, calm and ever-so-collected, this favorite melon can become the centerpiece of a no-cook supper with the right hit of spice.
The Cucumber Cure
Hot and bothered? Nature’s very own remedy for high-heat days is being harvested in the Garden State right now.
Lemon Verbena
Look at it as aromatherapy in the kitchen, a thoroughly useful herb that comforts as it infuses everything from vinaigrettes to ice cream.
Blueberry Sauce, a la Julie Sahni
Rituals have their place, particularly on holidays. Making a seasonal sauce sparkle with an unexpected spice is a personal favorite at this berry-rich time of year.
A Greenhorn on Eggs
It took me years, wasted years, to crack the code of what makes a golden egg. With right now being the Golden Age of this perfect food, make sure you don’t waste any time filling your basket.
Ready When You Are
Flattened by fatigue? Looking for the easy way out for a quick supper? Make sure you’ve got a cache of snack-style edibles at home that can slam-dunk fast food in terms of taste and, surprisingly, sometimes even cost.