Sunday, September 16, 2007

Oh, summer produce, why would you leave me?

I know, pumpkins and winter squash are coming, but I can still pout.
On Saturday, I was contemplating sleeping in and was out of sync with meeting friends at the Saturday farmer's market, but I still made a point of going. Reminding myself of sweet, perfect, affordable, hanging onto the end of season tomatoes, melons, corn and the love of my life...or summer...sweet bell peppers.
I came home with giant yellow bell peppers ($1 each), a mostly red jalapeno, roma tomatoes ($1/pound!), red slicing tomatoes, 3 different colored eggplants (green, purple and white/purple), a peach that I used in pancakes this morning and more - including an assortment of wholesome, candy-licious cherry tomatoes from this booth...

cherry tomatoes!

I've been dusting them with sea salt and just popping them in my mouth.
Simple salad.

Sundried tomato, roasted red pepper and mushroom risotto (VWAV)
Steamed broccoli
Fatfree english muffin
Roasted red pepper marinara

Leftover risotto & broccoli plate at work the next day.
trying to make my coworkers jealous...

Whole wheat penne, roasted red pepper marinara, roasted bell peppers and eggplant, 'parmesan'

Yikes, summer ending has me saying goodbye to natural light:
Mexican tofu scramble, Trader Joe's poppyseed chips (ick)


Grilled BBQ tofu, side salad, grilled corn and hash browns.

Just a bit of simple greatness - Crispy Salt and Pepper Tofu
from Veganomican - just about a month away now!


Well, what summer fruit or vegetable are you saddest to see go?

21 comments:

Cakespy said...

Those poppy seed chips look amazing!

mama herbivore said...

since i am just getting tomatos in my garden and it's cold out, i'm going to miss my tomatos!
but i have a more pressing question, o'sconed one.
"crispy salt & pepper tofu" you say? i am looking at a promo copy of veganonmicon right now, and it's not there! WHAT? not that there aren't a million recipes that look phenomenal and i can't wait to make 'em, but with a description like simple greatness or whatever you said i'm drooling over here. any tips you can give me would be fab.
thanks dear!

jess (of Get Sconed!) said...

oh! michelle, is it maybe called "chinese salt and pepper tofu"?
I wonder if maybe it didn't make it in?

Anonymous said...

I bet your coworkers were as jealous as ever. Wow, all the food looks great. You should totally come cook for me. I'll pay you in cat cuddles!

erica said...

STONE FRUITS!!!! More affordable than berries, I already am missing them. Peaches, apricots, nectarines, plums... I love you my lil' stone fruits. Oh, and melons. I eat fruit for breakfast (and afternoon snack), so I'm dreading a winter of imported (albeit fair trade) "banana breakfast", as I like to call it. Apples I just can't do first thing in the morning. I think I am going to have to move to South America.

Vegan_Noodle said...

Strawberries, raspberried, and blueberries for the fruits....they are my favorite! As for the veggies, I would say zucchini. I like my squash.
I know what you mean about the natural light! I'm finding more and more that I try to cook early to catch the sun...can't push it back to much more!
Oh well, bring on the winter squash and pears and apples....

Lori- the Pleasantly Plump Vegan said...

end of summer saddness for me is of course tomatoes, but no more watermelon makes me cry.

Emilie said...

I was bemoaning the end of summer harvest this weekend too. This is such a great time of overlap though--corn is still here, tomatoes, last of the berries, but the squash and pumpkins are coming.

I'll miss eggplant most this year--it was too dry to grow much and so we hardly got any in our farm share. Sigh.

Everything looks amazing, as always!

Vicki's Vegan Vice said...

Though I won't miss summer, I will miss corn & tomatoes.

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

Mmm, the foods look SO good. I would be a jealous co-worker! I can't wait for Veganomicon!

LK Sisters said...

Corn definitely! Also mango, blueberries, and watermelon.

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Jess, I am with you on the summer produce tragedy - as much as I LOOOOVE autumn and all of the produce that available this time of year, I am DEFINITELY going to miss my beloved summer produce!! most notably, blueberries, bing cherries, strawberries, apricots, zucchini, and tomatoes (especially heirloom tomatoes). :0(

bazu said...

I'm saddest to see blueberries go! I never had a chance to pick any this summer! Booooooooo.
Your food looks so awesome. It also reminds me that our little tomato plants are slowly dying. Goodbye, summer. Sniff.

shaun.marie said...

I'm excited that it's cauliflower season now, but as someone already said, it's sad to see peaches go. and CORN!! but i don't think i'd really appreciate corn on the cob if i had it all year round!

by the way, when i get back from boston (again) i'll give you a call. we need to meet up before we move, and i am probably going to try to pawn off all sorts of perishable foods on you (think huge jar of vegenaise). talk to you soon!

Rural Vegan said...

I will miss the fresh tomatoes the most, but I am delighted to see all the winter squash coming too!

Anonymous said...

your simple salad looks scrumptious! i hope that s+p tofu makes it in or i'll be spending all my money at my favorite vietnamese restaurant to get theirs!

Nikk said...

Summer means strawberries, blueberries and red red red fresh ripe tomatoes. It just doesn't seem right to eat them the rest of the year.

urban vegan said...

Sad to see 'em all go. I made "sumemr's swan song" pasta last nite.

I can't bear eating apples and pears all winter long. Ugh.

Judy said...

Yum, yum, yum....did I say yum?

I have to admit, my sadness from the end of summer produce is quickly replaced by excitement for fall stuff - squash, apples, root vegetables. If I had to choose, I guess I would say watermelon is the hardest to say goodbye to. Man, I ate a lot of watermelon this summer.

Steph said...

I am so sad to see fresh tomatoes go. They are such a staple of my diet... and wimpy grocery market versions simply will not do! Check out my blog sometime... The Student Stomach. I'm vegan too!

Abbie said...

I am going to miss tomatoes and watermelons so badly. Great photos!