Oh, the joys of summer!

We ate the first three ripe tomatoes the other night with fresh basil from my garden and balsamic vinegar. They were still warm from the sun, I kid you not. It's amazing how home-grown tomatoes just seem to melt in your mouth. It was worth waiting for them to arrive through those cold and rainy winter and spring months.


Jake and I made a new delicious risotto recipe using zucchini and squash blossoms from the garden. I've heard that making risotto can be complicated, but it was actually quite easy. You've just got to keep stirring. I think the risotto was even better the next day.


Finally, I pulled this beautiful bunch of carrots up today. I have never grown carrots this large before. I learned that it is a good idea to plant carrots in a deep container so they have lots of room for their roots to grow. It pays off! I'm going to put them to use tonight in a new recipe from Heidi Swanson called Carrot, Dill, & White Bean Salad. I've got a pot of white beans simmering on the stove and a loaf of four grain-honey bread in the oven right now to go with it. It feels like an oven in my kitchen at the moment, but it'll be worth the sweat, I'm sure.