Seasonal Eating: June Veggies & Recipes

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

June Veggies & Recipes

Roses Going Crazy

June is Bustin’ Out All Over

As Oscar Hammerstein II hints, June can be a very intense month. Weddings, graduations, Father’sDay…plus the mad race most gardeners with day jobs are running to get plants in and watered. End of fiscal year means wrap-up of finances for some businesses, and some people, like myself, are being downsized as a result. Some years it seems like the additional daylight makes everyone and everything crazier, maybe I’m just projecting? In any case, I’m giving myself as much of a break as I can with my menus. Here are some tips for simplifying menus during stressful times:

Rely on tried and true recipes, especially comfort foods. Pasta dishes are often cheap, easy, and comforting. It’s good to have (or start) a file of these, either analog or digital.

Make easy side dishes. Plenty of garden lettuce makes for easy salads. Most fresh veggies can be steamed, braised, or sautéed with very little fuss or forethought.

If you’re trying a new recipe, make sure it’s simple and fun, and that you actually have time to make it and enjoy the process of creating it.

Rediscover lunch at dinnertime. Perhaps an informal sandwich or salad bar where family members make their own?

Better yet, let someone else do the work. One of my posts this month will be about the Art of the Sandwich, as made by local Santa Cruz natural foods stores. Premade natural foods are a boon when time and nerves are short.

Eat strawberries! They’re at their prime, and are healthful and refreshing snacks for the stressed. Or try my mom’s simple strawberry sauce over ice cream or shortcake. Balsamic mint strawberries are also and easy, healthy treat with yogurt. Here are some tips for storing strawberries.