My mom came in from the “North” country yesterday afternoon. As our gardens have basically floundered this summer with the early monsoon and the recent heat wave, hers has flourished. She brought proof with her. She brought us two baskets of tomatoes, a huge cheese squash, some patty pans, beets, green beans, cucumbers, peppers, and eggplants. And, she brought some fantastic Iowa corn! I think it took us ten minutes to just unload the baskets, coolers, and boxes of produce from her car.
So far, thanks to mom, we have eaten only her garden fresh produce (with the exception of our contributions of okra and farm fresh eggs).
Last night, I fixed a huge pan of Eggplant Caprese Bake, fried okra, and fresh green beans.
Fresh green beans with wine and basil
4 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic clove, minced
8 cups fresh green beans, snapped
1 c. white wine
1/8 c. basil, chopped
Salt and pepper
Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan. Saute onion until translucent. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute more. Add green beans and stir. Add wine, stir and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat; simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove cover and increase heat to medium. Cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Stir in basil, season with salt and pepper, and serve.
Her tomatoes are absolutely perfect. She loves Black Krim variety which I think it is similar to a Cherokee Purple.
This morning we sliced up a Black Krim and topped it with farm fresh scrambled eggs. Oh, my.
I see bruschetta, salsa, and lots of salads in our future meals for this weekend.
