Dreaming of Summer's Meat and Three

I'm starting to reminisce on last year's summer garden.  We had such great luck with tomatoes and peppers that I could just cry about it every time I'm in the produce section of the local markets.  Tomatoes aren't fit for consumption until after July 4th; I only eat grape tomatoes from the grocery store to carry me through the winter.  Sure, I use canned tomato products for soups and chillies and such, but I turn my nose up to any tomato larger than a grape after the season ends in the fall.

You'll know you're almost to the Farmer's Daughter when you see this beehive.

Last year we had the sprawlinest yellow pear tomato vines you ever did see.  We didn't stake, cage and trellis our plants at all the right times...and when we got those vines off of the dirt...it was on.  Those yellow pears could have easily trapped passing garden enthusiasts, if they stayed in one spot too long.

We picked those plants up at the Farmer's Daughter on 17, along with some black cherry tomatoes that had already been started by people with more patience than I have.  Being an heirloom, I didn't have high expectations for the black cherry, so I didn't leave her enough room.  She was gorgeous, a sight to behold.  She also produced fruit well into the fall.

Black cherry tomatoes in my McCarty pottery bowl from Merigold, MS.

Jalapenos and Hungarian wax peppers.

During the summer, there are so many wonderful sides, the main course doesn't have to me so, well, main.   I have a simple recipe for you that you can use when your seasonal fruits and vegetables take up a lot of room on your plate.  Get ready for Perfect Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs!  You'll need a cast iron skillet, skin-on chicken thighs, salt, pepper and oil...and a day where setting your oven to 475 F for about 18 minutes of cook time won't put you flat out on the kitchen floor.  In addition to the directions in this recipe, I trim down the excess chicken skin; there will be plenty left for the fat to render.  

Also, I highly recommend buying some handle mitts.  Cast iron is heavy, and I can never get a safe grip using a tea towel and my small hands.  I tend to burn oven mitts, so slipping a mitt on the handle works better for me.  If you don't have your family's cast iron, Le Creuset's enameled cast iron will put you in the poor house, but you'll still want to make a spot in your bed for your precious cookware...it's that awesome.  In the list of items-to-grab-on-your-way-out-of-your-burning-house, your Le Creuset will be in your top ten.  (T.J. Maxx sometimes sells this brand, but the sticker is still shocking, if you are not independently wealthy.)  If you frequent Cracker Barrel, they usually carry Lodge cast iron in their store shop, but I haven't tried that brand yet.

Hot and Blue

Little kitties. (Punky the Runt)

Slightly larger kitties.

Baby the watchcat.

Ohmygoodnessitishot.   I bet you know what I'm talking about.   We're trying to tie up loose ends around here with the house, lawn and garden.   The almost-new heating element on my dryer has stopped working, but we don't really need it right now.   There's sun tea brewing outside the kitchen door.   I've impatiently picked a few of our black cherry tomatoes early.   Our neighbor's kitties have been checked out by the vet, and I pick up the runt of the litter tonight.   Locally roasted coffee beans are on the way to share with folks at Delta State.   My parents have been given the official caretakers' instructions.

I'm trying to re-read some of the required materials that I read months ago at the laundromat, back when the dryer wasn't working last time.   I'm also trying to add in extra reading and watching to prepare for the coursework.   Last night we enjoyed the documentary "M for Mississippi. "

 I'm looking forward to hearing Bill Abel tell us all about the blues.   You can see him right here.

Y'all, I don't know how I'm going to survive the Delta heat without wearing a headscarf every day.   I am going to be a fashion don't from sun up to sun down.   I'll be wearing a bathtub or hotel pool in the evening.   Don't worry...I won't mention your name while I'm a hot mess.

Albuquerque Stuart on mandolin, Bill Abel and Memphis Clint on guitar.
Mr. Abel seemed to enjoy playing with our teacher participants. (Davis 7/12)