Blog
Refreshing Summer Salsa
Now that school is out for the summer, my kids are constantly reaching for snacks during the day. My grocery list has grown quite long over the past several weeks! To stay on top of my grocery budget, I have been trying to buy less pre-packaged snack foods and opt for items that have more fiber and nutrients to keep my kids full while waiting for our next meal.
Garden Check In
Back in April I wrote a blog about good places to find free garden seeds. I also shared about how, in the summer of 2024, deer ate everything in our garden except the marigolds and zucchini. This year, we made some changes to our garden and we are feeling successful. We used a deer repellent spray around the outside of our garden, and we placed dog hair in and around our garden.
Summer’s Perfect Side, Topping, Sandwich…
This month’s recipe is truly a jack of all trades. Broiled Tomatoes are so flexible, you can use them as the basis for a sandwich, sauce or appetizer. Here are some of the ways I have used this recipe.
Totally Tomatoes
What ripens to red, orange, purple, or yellow, has seeds, and is bursting with the fresh flavor of summer? Tomatoes come in a rainbow of colors; the most common is red, of course. Tomatoes add color, nutrients, and interest to our meals. Not only can we chop, slice, and eat them fresh, but they serve as the base for recipes and sauces in many cultures. If you want to find new recipes from cultures around the world there are some ideas below, or you can check out Oldways.
Salsa Fresca
Ripe tomatoes are everywhere this time of year. You may find an abundance of tomatoes at your farmers’ market, food pantry, food store, or even in your own yard. Ripe tomatoes taste so good, but it can be overwhelming to figure out what to do with them all. Our August recipe of the month is here to help you out.
Update from Justine – What do I Grow?
In early June, I wrote about how I decide what to grow in our garden. When planning out our garden this year, I asked my children what they wanted to grow. My oldest son chose to grow four different pepper plants, my daughter chose to grow romaine lettuce, and my youngest son chose to grow zinnias. These choices did not take up a lot of space, so I added two tomato plants and two acorn squash plants.
