The garden is growing into an edible jungle! And what a feast to be had - there's fresh veggies and fruits to be savored and soon saved. As we head into summer our meals are changing along with the season.
Here's last week eats on the urban homestead for you to savor with your eyes!
Whoops! Half eaten blueberry pancakes-- Honestly, they looked better than this before SOMEONE starting eating them.
Herbs n flowers
Farmer Sergio's citrus, lemon verbena and pineapple sage
Kale and sorrel
Beet and apple salad
Herbal, rose citrus punch with lemon juice ice cubes
Yellow squash ready for roasting
Squash blossoms
Fried squash blossoms stuffed with herbal cheese
Squash blossoms with herb cheese and green bean salad
Oven roasted beets
Meal preparations
Guests at the Urban Homestead. Dinner is served
WEEK ONE
All food items are homemade/homegrown/home preserved / from Farmer Sergio unless otherwise specified
and ...
If not from backyard, then locally produced
If not locally produced, then organic.
If not organic, then family farm.
If not family farm, then local business.
If not local business, then fair trade.
SATURDAY
Breakfast - blueberry pancakes with strawberries
Lunch - picnic at Sergio's farm
Dinner - leftovers
SUNDAY
Breakfast - at hotel in Encinitas
Lunch - tabling at eco fair Cottonwood Creek Park Encinitas
Dinner - too tired to cook!
MONDAY
Breakfast - skillet granola (organic oats, sugar and oil) with strawberries and yogurt
Lunch - green beans over (organic) rice with salad (homemade honey mustard dressing)
Dinner - leftovers
TUESDAY
Breakfast - fruit preserves & organic peanut butter on bread
Lunch - kale, sorrel pesto with roasted beet and apple salad
Dinner - squash blossoms stuffed with herb cheese, green bean salad
WEDNESDAY
Breakfast -skillet granola with strawberries and yogurt
Lunch - green beans, lemon herb butter, bread and salad
Dinner - avocado, lettuce sandwich with beets, strawberry and carrot salad
THURSDAY
Breakfast - french toast and honey
Lunch - summer veggies with rice, salad with carrots
Dinner -herb pizza dough topped with roasted yellow squash, peppers, garlic with salad
FRIDAY
Breakfast - grapefruit
Lunch - grilled cheese sandwich with jalepeno jelly
Dinner - no knead bread,kale, sorrel pesto with roasted beet and apple salad
Care to share what you've been enjoying, eating recently? Are you making more meals from scratch or homegrown ingredients. What new dishes have you tried and liked?
11 Comments: "REAL FOOD, REAL SIMPLE: Weekly Meal Wrap Up!" »
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So you guys have a cookbook? Because if not, you should!
@Savvy Housekeepin: Thanks for the comments. RE a cookbook "we are working on it!"
Most of our meals are either locally grown, in season, organic, and homemade. Our family made this jump last year with a home made batch of granola and a lesson on putting up the harvest. It has made us healthier in the process and we no longer get sick. Cooking this way is cheaper, has less waste, and is tastier. My extended family and co-workers are inspired by my tasty treats but don't want to make the jump. They also consider me a little "different" because I choose to make everything by hand from scratch. Our next jump as our appliances wear out (which there aren't many left) we choose not to replace them. I have found so many alternatives that work just as well and I get a little workout in the process. It is like a whole world has opened up.
@Deanna: Wow, what a testimony! Good for you. Love the part you put in about being healthier- that is SO true. Folks often comment about how healthy our skin looks, wondering what sort of beauty treatments we use. I simply put - GOOD FOOD! Looking forward to hearing more about your food and low impact adventures
On our menu is a lot of just picked homegrown strawberries served at almost every meal. I have also been using local spinach (mine will be ready in a couple of days) in salads and local sweet potatoes at almost every meal. We are not quite at your level yet but as I add more local or homegrown items to our menu all I keep hearing is yum!! That's a good sign since I have two picky eaters (one is 8 and the other is 40....LOL).
@Debbie: Sounds yummy. Glad to hear the little folks are loving the homegrown food too.
I love love LOVE Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone cookbook. Over Memorial Day weekend I made her pico de gallo and guac recipes (with local tomatoes!), and they were both amazing!
Please explain these squash blossoms that are stuffed and fried - are they literally just the flower? So amazing looking (wish I could reach into the screen and taste one of these!)
@Monica: Yep. just the flowers. Squashes produce male and female flowers and only the female flowers produce fruit. We harvest the male flowers, stuff them with a herb cheese mixture, dip them in batter and then pan fry them. More about the incredible edible squash
http://www.npr.org/templates/s.....=111697142
Thank you so much Anais : ) I really enjoyed reading the article you linked to! This is definitely one thing I must try in my lifetime : )
@Monica: You are welcome. I agree and think you will enjoy!