The South, week 4

I sense a slight slump in participation, but I can't throw stones, because it's all I can do to keep afloat! July'll get ya. The days might be long, but they can never be long enough.



This week I made a Chinese-themed meal out of locally caught fish and homegrown cucumbers. Dessert is a no-brainer; the figs have started coming in fast and thick. Figs, figs, figs. We LOVE figs.

Jeff and Joyce had fresh sweet corn with breakfast casserole. The casserole included homemade tortillas made with local flour and butter!

The Purloined Letter staged a dinner on the grill: burgers, sweet corn, squash, and cukes, with grilled peaches for dessert and mojitos to drink! She made the burgers with zucchini and chard mixed right in--something I’m going to have to try. Go look at the series of photos, if for no other reason than to look at the mouthwatering way the tomatoes slouch off the burgers. Now those are ripe.

Jen is finding the true spirit of OLS: networking with friends and sharing the spoils of all your gardens. “Home grown and canned green beans from the In-laws. One can down, 23 to go...” she notes. Also, take a look at her photo of the world’s scariest cucumber.

Laurie incorporated leftover carrot soup into a meatloaf (the naturally sweet addition was a real winner, she says!), then served it alongside a simple cucumber salad.

Paulette’s husband was home on a weekend pass, so they celebrated with local lamb chops, veggies, potato pancakes, and Tennessee wine.

Pattie borrowed Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan with a Vengeance several times from the library before relenting and purchasing her own copy. Why? Because of easy, appealing recipes like the corn fritters that were part of this week’s OLS meal. She served them with a Georgia peach salsa and a side of lamb’s quarters.

Pressed for time, Maggie made a quick and delicious meal of North Carolina-made linguine with homemade Bolognese sauce. Dessert came from her favorite local ice cream shop, Ultimate Ice Cream (5 miles from her front door).

Lastewie made her very first batch of egg noodles--and I’m proud to say that she used one of my eggs! She served the noodles with pan-fried rainbow trout, hush puppies, green and wax beans, tomatoes, and cantaloupe.

And despite a hectic week, non-blogger Molly managed a lovely local meal. Her parents brought some food from the North Carolina coast, including (ready to be jealous?) local tuna. The meal: beef, veggie and tuna kebabs; fried okra; and corn on the cob.