Locavore June 22

It’s now solar summer, and while the days are just about to start diminishing again – albeit imperceptibly at first, we are getting into the time when we have an profusion of fresh beautiful and wonderfully tasty produce. Production is really stepping up in the garden – even though I did not plant a number of things until late. Berries, especially, are luscious and abundant and start showing up at every meal.

Breakfast: Sunday – we take the time to make a cooked breakfast of pancakes with cherry sauce (home made from local cherries), tossed berries salad (blueberries, strawberries & currants – all from the garden) and bacon from a Rappahannock County pig.

Lunch: chilled sorrel & cucumber soup (Pensylvania yogurt, local cukes and sorrel from the garden); left over (local) roast chicken eaten cold with pesto mayonnaise (mayonnaise store-bought, pesto made from local pecan nuts & herbs) & home-made bread, salad of mixed lettuce from the garden. More berries for dessert. Mint ice-tea (mint from the garden)

Dinner: Venison loin (from the hills behind us) sautéed in the bacon fat from this morning breakfast with mixed zucchini chunks from Waterpenny, finished with 3 kinds of basil (from the garden) and plain boiled (local) new potatoes. Last of the lemon verbena poached peaches with kaffir lime for dessert (peaches from Georgia, herbs from the garden).