Peach season in Arkansas is absolutely one of my most favorite times of the year. Yes, I love strawberries. But we can get some decent organic ones, albeit NOT the best, strawberries year round. Really nice blueberries, blackberries and raspberries are generally always available, But peaches? Not so much. Which makes me anticipate their goodness even more.
With summer winding down, the last of the tomato and peach harvests and still providing just enough fruit to make this gorgeous and tasty salad. Why not stir up a bowlful today for one last bite of summer deliciousness? READ MORE
This Vegetable Tian is a great way to use the bounty of summer squash and tomatoes, and it is such a colorful and delicious dish. The roasted vegetables are sitting on a layer of caramelized onions, and they are topped with Parmesan cheese. Vegetables just don’t get any better than this! READ MORE
Pat Downs: The Ultimate BLT
One of my favorite sandwiches is a BLT. However, I like to add the addition of a good fluffy egg and cheddar cheese. What makes this sandwich so ultimate? They key is to preseason your fresh garden tomatoes and use living lettuce. These preseason tomatoes make a great snack all alone. I started doing this to my tomatoes when I make sandwiches, pizza’s and wraps. The flavors will soak in and add a new life to your meals. READ MORE
This year, it seems either you HAVE enough tomatoes, thank you…
…or else you don’t.
This year, we don’t. We planted 40 Bradleys and Brandywines and got about ten quarts of tomato juice, total.
She sighs.
However, she DOES have tomato recipes and for those of you who have been blessed, she is willing to share and bless you even more! READ MORE
Jamie Smith: Eggplant Vegetable Tian
We discovered tian a couple of years ago and we make it pretty frequently from Spring through early Fall. The original variation has potato instead of eggplant in it, which is also delicious. We started making this version because my husband loves eggplant and neither one of us really need the carbs from the potato.
We now prefer this version of tian that is filled with tasty summer vegetables and is easy to make. The eggplant does add a step, but it’s worth the extra work. READ MORE
Gina Knuppenburg: Balsamic Tomato Salad
This delicious tomato salad has all my favorite summer ingredients: red onions, fresh garlic, basil and mozzarella. I’m new to the tomato game. Did you know I wouldn’t touch them when I was a kid? I really do believe that giving up meat had opened my pallet and enabled me to experience vegetables in a whole new way. Now, mushrooms, on the other hand. No way. Still. ha! READ MORE
Debbie Arnold: Tomato, Peach and Basil Salad with Balsamic Drizzle
This easy, easy salad is just one of those impromptu things that came about just because…well, I had a bunch of tomatoes and several peaches that needed to be eaten. I had often made a tomato and watermelon salad and just figured tomatoes would work well with peaches as well. And they certainly did! READ MORE
When I first started cooking well, as I cooked horribly for many years, I looked for easy recipes that looked like I had slaved for hours to make the gourmet dinner for my family.These days, it’s not only easy and beautiful recipes, but also ones that are healthy for our family.We live in a home with 2 athletes, 1 rancher, and 1 full time everything (ME), so it must be healthy and full of protein to keep us all full. This recipe meets all those requirements and most importantly is delicious and a frequent request. READ MORE
Rachel writes about homesteading, gardening, farming, food, and her life in northeastern Oklahoma.Rachel lives with her husband, 2 teenage daughters, 3 dogs, 30 chickens, 10 pigs, hundreds of cattle, thousands of bees, and one very cranky rabbit. When she’s hiding from all the chaos, she can be found blogging over at HoughFamilyHomestead.com.
6 cups 1-inch bread cubes, cut from French baguettes
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
For the vinaigrette
1 teaspoon minced garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Remaining ingredients for the salad
2 large Arkansas heirloom tomatoes, cut 1-inch cubes
1 large cucumber, seeded, large dice
1 each red and yellow bell pepper, cut 1-inch pieces
1 Vidalia or other sweet onion, thinly sliced
25 large fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped or torn
3 tablespoons capers, drained
Instructions
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in large pan or stockpot over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and salt. Stir well to coat the bread. Cook, stirring often, until slightly browned, adding a little more oil if necessary. Set aside.
For the vinaigrette, whisk garlic cloves, mustard, vinegar and olive oil together. Taste and add salt as needed. Set aside.
Prep the remaining ingredients and place in a large mixing bowl. Add toasted bread cubes and vinaigrette. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes so that the flavors can marry.
Optional ingredients: crumbled feta or blue cheese, Kalamata olives, diced avocado
By Capi Peck of Trio's Restaurant in Little Rock
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
Capi Peck is a Little Rock native who calls herself a “self-taught good cook”.Her love of great food and cooking grew from her childhood experiences at her family’s establishment, the Sam Peck Hotel.Capi’s grandparents ran the well-known downtown spot that brought a cosmopolitan flair and grand cuisine to Little Rock in the 1950’s and 1960’s.As a tribute to her culinary roots, Capi serves a few of Sam Peck’s creations at Trio’s, the restaurant she has co-owned with her partner, Brent Peterson for nearly 30 years.
Capi is committed to featuring locally grown produce whenever possible. She supports more than eight Arkansas farming families by offering their produce on her ever-changing menu.
Strawberries from Caddo Crest Orchard in Guy
Capi serves as Chair of Little Rock’s Advertising and Promotion Commission and is immediate past president of the Arkansas Restaurant Association.
She is very committed to the No Kid Hungry Program, part of Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, where she serves as a volunteer chef in the Cooking Matters classes.
Capi is proudest of her extended family at both Trio’s.More than 10 of her staff have worked with her for over 18 years and 4 have been part of the Trio’s family for 23 or more years.
About Trio’s (Courtesy of Trio’s Restaurant)
“Trio’s Restaurant, which began in 1986 as a gourmet shop with “good food to go” along with cookbooks, coffee, gadgets, and a well-stocked deli, has evolved into one of the finest dining and catering establishments in the state. Capi Peck and Brent Peterson have nurtured Trio’s from its inception. It is their “baby,” and it has grown into an award-winning restaurant known for innovation and consistency.
So many of Trio’s loyal customers began their culinary adventures more than 20 years ago as toddlers at the Trio’s table. And, for many displaced Arkansans, a visit home wouldn’t be complete without a meal at Trio’s with family and friends. Most important are the employees who were here almost from the beginning including Partner Stephanie Caruthers, who started at Trio’s as a baker in 1987, and directs the Catering Department. Apollos Merriweather, who many of you know from his catering work for Trio’s, has been part of the Trio’s team since 1988. Our catering would not be what it is today without Apollos! Eric Wilson began as a dishwasher in 1986! He runs the day kitchen line and is famous for his grilled chicken enchiladas. And, a few of the familiar faces of our floor staff have been with Trio’s for 10+ years: Richard LeSourd, Michelle Lee, and Wayne Pyland. Chef Shanna Merriweather, our Executive Chef, began as an apprentice while in culinary school. She’s a calm leader in the kitchen, and her culinary creativity shines throughout our menu.
The “Trio’s Family” extends far and wide, and Capi and Brent have successfully fostered the fundamental ideal of “hearth and home” in the staff at Trio’s. We all believe that ideal is the key to our success. And, of course, there’s the food!”
Note: Tri0’s was recently named the best Farm-to-Table Restaurant in Arkansas by Travel and Leisure Magazine.
Celebrate the Flavors of Arkansas {Tomato Basil Jam}
A couple of summers ago, my Papa fell shelling peas.I mean, what else are you supposed to do on a summer’s night when you are 90? (Now you know the Energizer Bunny™ is in my genes!) He had already planted a full garden for the summer and it was tomato time.I remember spending a couple of afternoons during those hot July summer days in his fields and thinking, “I understand now why he gets up so early to do this!”
But that summer was a productive one on the tomato vine.I learned and relearned a lot of lessons evaluating those plants and the crop they were producing.Our hearts were full and so was the floor of the carport.You see my Papa usually overplanted because he knew he was going to spend most of his summer giving those vegetables away.
My papa passed away at the end of last summer, and I heard several people say that for the first time in at least 2 decades they would have to actually purchase tomatoes of their own.I guess it seems fitting that my mom developed this recipe as a way to use up the “ugly” tomatoes in the bunch and give away some gifts in his honor.
I love this jam on sandwiches or with homemade quesadillas.And, the Texan in me prefers cilantro instead of the basil variation. But, play with the herbs in your terra cotta pots.You’re bound to have a favorite too!
As your bounty fills this summer, enjoy this treat, gather folks and your table and take some time to remember what you love about the season!
2 ½ pounds of fully ripe tomatoes (approximately 5 large tomatoes)
6 large fresh basil leaves (or ½ bunch cilantro)
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup sugar
1-2 oz. package Sure Jell
2 ¾ cups sugar
Instructions
Prepare jars, lids and rings for canning.
Bring water in a water bath canner to a low boil. Place jars and rings in canner and leave until ready to fill. Place lids in water that has been heated to boiling, but do not boil the lids.
Wash tomatoes thoroughly. Prepare tomatoes by peeling, removing stem ends, bad spots, cores and seeds.
Place tomatoes in food processor (or you may chop by hand to control size).
Remove stems from basil and add basil leaves to food processor. Pulse 3-5 times until tomatoes are coarsely chopped and basil is mixed throughout tomatoes.
Place tomatoes in a medium stock pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in lemon juice.
In a separate bowl, combine ¼ cup of sugar with the Sure Jell.
Mix well and pour into tomatoes. Bring back to a boil, stirring constantly.
Stir in remaining 2 1/2 cups sugar.
Keep at a hard boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Set mixture off burner. Remove top foam with a metal spoon and discard.
Ladle hot jam into hot sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving a 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids and screw bands.
Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner for 5 minutes (start timing when water returns to boiling). Remove jars from canner; cool on wire racks.
Check seals and label.
Notes
(from my great grandmother) Mama Jones’ trick for easy peeling tomatoes: Cut an “x” in the bottom of the tomato skin. Place tomatoes in a pan of hot boiling water for 1 minute. Immediately transfer to bowl of cold, icy water. Peeling should easily pull off.
August in Arkansas and it’s hotter than hot. The past two summers spoiled us with the frequent rains and cooler temperatures. The lack of water and brutal sunshine can take its toll on farmer’s crops as well as a home garden. But you can always count on okra to shine in the face of hot dry weather.
Unless you have spent much time down South, you may not be familiar with this green slender pod-like vegetable. I am an okra lover. Give it to me anyway I can get it. Fry it. Pickle it. Slice it up and add it to curry, gumbo or stew. Roast it on the grill. My son and I recently took a bite of it raw just to see what it was like. And it wasn’t bad at all!
At the moment, I have bags of okra falling out of my refrigerator every time the door is opened. I’d like to be pickling it but I haven’t found the time. Right now I am simply washing and freezing the okra. Because this okra will likely be coated and fried or added to another dish, I slice the pods into 1-2 inch lengths and freeze them in large gallon bags.
So when you come across a great deal on okra at the farmers market or your own garden is producing a bumper crop remember these easy storage tips. You can also try this great recipe that highlights some other great farmers market or from the garden finds.
In a large sauté pan, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and set aside.
Sauté onion and garlic in bacon drippings until soft.
Add okra and peppers and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
Add purple hull peas and tomatoes and cook an additional 5 minutes.
Season with salt, pepper and toss in reserved bacon.
Black-Eye Peas
Add peas to a large sauce pan and cover with water.
Add the onion, bacon, bay leaves, and black pepper. Over high heat, allow to come to boil then reduce to simmer and cook for about 45 minutes or until beans are firm but cooked.
Season with salt.
Let the peas stand in liquid for 15 minutes before draining.
By Jeanetta Darley
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
What food reminds you of childhood?
Rice crispie treats
What is your favorite international cuisine? I love it all; why pick?
What is always in your refrigerator at home? Beer
What is your most used cookbook? Better Homes & Gardens red checkered cookbook
What is your favorite kitchen gadget? My canner.
Do you have a favorite food indulgence?
Not really because I don’t deny myself much. Everything in moderation.
What is your go-to ingredient that you use time and time again? .Onions
What is your favorite food meal to cook at home? Fried egg sandwich
What is a cooking tip that you would like to share with beginning cooks? Just try it. If it flops throw it out or feed it the chickens and try again.
When you’re not cooking, what are your favorite pastimes? Art
What else would you like us to know about you? I’m honest. I usually only bite my food. I love Jesus but I drink a little.
Jeanetta is a crocheter & coffee addict, chicken keeper & goat wrangler, a farmer girl & maker of drunk jellies. You can find her online at So I Was Sayin’ or on twitter, pinterest & instagram . You can also follow her on Periscope (Jeanetta) and join with her for #Arkanscopes. Catch her session with Kellee Mayfield (@DeltaMoxie) on Periscope at #AWBU.