We have reached that dreamy place where full meals are coming from the garden. There is little that compares to the buttery bliss of a freshly dug red viking potato or the sweet snap of a carmen pepper.
Our bush beans have really taken off now. The pole beans continue to be showy with their climbing, healthy leaves - but no beans yet. I'm hearing mixed stories from farmers and gardeners in our area, some sharing that everything is so early this year and their not sure if there will be anything left to bring to September markets. Others, like me, feel things are a tad late. We've had only one ripe tomato so far but I've been watching three million green sungolds on the vein for weeks now. I did notice a few of those starting to turn last night though, soon perhaps.
The first potatoes have a bit of what appears to be black scurf. I thought we were doomed when I first saw this, but the inside is perfectly creamy white, and other potatoes were dug last night and don't seem to be as affected. We shall see.
Potatoes feel like the 'meat' of the vegetable garden, I can't imagine a garden without them. We have three varitites growing, so far I've only peeked and snuck a few of these red viking. The others are not quite dying back yet. Next year, I'd really like to try sweet potatoes. Oh, yum!
(If anyone knows this to be anything other than black scurf, please do share your thoughts in the comments! Thanks.)
This is my kind of food. A bowl of gently cooked "whatever's growing at the moment" - just until the potatoes are tender and the colorful additions brighten. Still crispy tender.
To make this simple dish:
- Pull out your favorite skillet and heat about a 1/2 inch of water over medium heat. Small diced potatoes are added in a single layer, water is salted with a bit of sea salt.
- Cover the pot and let them cook for about five minutes, until tender. Remaining water is drained and potatoes move to a small bowl.
- To the skillet add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (a bit of water may be used instead) and the remaining veggies, the heat is kept at medium. It only takes a couple of minutes to brighten and slightly tenderize the vegetables.
- Then the potatoes are added back in to combine, plus a pinch of black pepper and a tiny amount of sea salt to taste. An additional drizzle of oilve oil may be added when serving.
If we had chickens (next Spring!), a poached egg would be lovely on top, or a piece of roasted salmon, but neither are necessary. An abundant bowl of vegetables, especially one with hearty, grounding root vegetables, is my idea of the perfect meal.
