What’s New?
Zucchini Blossoms
Besides the fact that they are beautiful bright blossoms, they are edible. Zucchini plants have both male and female blossoms; male blossoms have long, slender stems and grow from the plant’s body, while female blossoms are attached directly to the end of a tiny, developing zucchini which is at the base of the flower. Both zucchini flowers can be eaten, prepared two different ways. One is to batter and deep fry them, the other is by stuffing them with a rice, onion and pine nut mixture. To stuff, one would steam the flowers first then stuff them, tie them up and bake.
Don’t forget about the zucchini. Many ways to eat that beautiful vegetable. My favourite is fried zucchini dipped in sour cream.
Tomatoes
Ahhh…fresh tomatoes. Time for the making of tomato sauce, chutneys, chili sauces and salsas. Honestly it’s the only time I eat raw tomatoes…fresh from the fields here in Ontario. And now many heirloom varieties available in white, yellow and red colours. The greenhouse tomatoes we get in winter just don’t measure up.
Radishes
I for one, enjoy radishes that are in season in Ontario. Yes you can buy them all year round but nothing packs the punch Ontario radishes give you, crunched with just a sprinkle of salt. 🔥🔥🔥
As luck would have it, my neighbour left a bunch of radishes on our porch yesterday, along with a cucumber, and some tomatoes…and one was an heirloom tomato! We are getting spoiled.
Dill Weed
Something homesteaders are busy pickling with right now, since pickles are making their appearance at local fresh markets. I was going to illustrate a pickle (which is really a small cucumber) but they are rather ugly. They are more appreciated when they are pickled in brine. Each jar of pickles contains a sprig of the beautifully fragrant dill weed. I just love the smell of fresh dill!