It’s beginning: the annual summer glut of veggies and fruit. Herewith are Early Girl, Banana paste, and Pineapple tomatoes; zucchini and sunburst squash; and the first of the Bartlett pears:
The peaches are done (and at my husband’s behest I made another dozen jars of “unfancy” peach jam, adding only lemon juice and vanilla bean to brighten the flavor – so much for my fear that the peaches were too small to make jam) and the pears are just beginning.
In a week or so, those that haven’t dropped to the ground will be at the perfect underripe stage to pick and set out on the kitchen counter. These Bartletts definitely ripen best off the tree: I no longer even have to touch them to gauge their readiness. When they reach a particular shade of chartreuse, and perfume the kitchen with a subtle pear-y note, I know it’s time to bake an upside-down caramelized pear tart (from Patricia Wells’ Bistro Cooking). That, as well as pear marmalade, pear butter, and any other pear preserve that strikes my fancy. The local hardware store kindly special-ordered eight dozen jars for me, and I guarantee they will all get used. After pears, there will be FIGS (Proof that Mother Nature saves the best for last).
Comments welcome