Now that our beautiful summer is waning into fall, it’s important to eat all of the healthy vegetables available at this time of year. We still have tomatoes and squash, as well as local corn. We all know it’s a good idea to eat as local as possible.
Did you know that food in major grocery stores travels an average of 2,000 miles to get to the shelf? That incorporates shipping to a main distribution facility before shipping to stores. That’s a lot of energy and a big carbon footprint. Fruits and vegetables begin to lose their nutrients within 24 hours of being picked, so fresher produce is more nutritious.
Better quality soil and more sustainable farming practices typically means better tasting food, too. We’ve been receiving lots of vegetables from organic farms at Grey Bears. Much of it comes in large boxes so when it goes into the bags you may not realize it’s organically grown. We used the fresh organic summer squash from Lakeside Organics on our sautéed squash, tomatoes, and thyme from Grey Bears cooler in this recipe.
Sautéed Squash, Tomatoes and Thyme
Olive Oil
Yellow and Green Squash, cut into uniform pieces
Cherry tomatoes/or regular tomatoes, chopped
fresh thyme
salt and pepper
Put olive oil in fry pan and heat up. Add squash and tomatoes and sauté until slightly soft but not too well cooked. Add the fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Simple!
Chicken with Lemon
Olive oil
Boneless chicken breasts (can be whole breasts as well, or chicken thighs)
garlic
fresh juice and zest of 3 lemons
salt and pepper
fresh thyme and oregano
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Pat chicken dry and put into a baking pan with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper
Sauté garlic in olive oil. Don’t burn! If garlic burns, start again.
Add lemon juice and zest to olive oil and garlic mixture
pour over chicken
add more lemon juice, if desired
add fresh thyme and oregano as well as salt and pepper
Cook for about 45 minutes or until done.
Corn Salad with Tomatoes, Feta, and Mint
This was delicious and SUPER easy!
4 ears corn, cut off the cob
We used cherry tomatoes, but you can use any type of tomato
4 oz. feta cheese
fresh mint
salt and pepper
Just throw it together! This was a real hit and one our students, Lisa, has already tried it.
Simple Butter Lettuce Salad
A very simple salad with just crispy fresh lettuce. We tend to add all sorts of vegetables to our salads, which is wonderful. Sometimes simple can be pleasing and refreshing.
Butter lettuce
lemon juice
olive oil
salt and pepper
Gently wash the lettuce and cut leaves along the main vein, as I demonstrated. Make sure the lettuce is dry before dressing. Add the juice of 1/2 lemon and some olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste, and toss.
These recipes are delicious, healthy and easy to prepare for aging adults or in smaller households. When we cook in class we are cooking for 30 people. So feel free to adjust these recipes and quantities as you like, of course.
Please let me know if you try any of the recipes and any questions or comments you have. Our next class is Saturday, September 28th. Hope to see you there!
Chef Poppy
poppydegarmo@gmail.com