Summer is over

So summer has officially ended for me. I have a small 10 x 8 fruit & vegetable garden in my backyard. This year we planted cherry & grape tomatoes, lemon boy tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, eggplant, boston/bibb lettuce, romaine, green beans, snap peas, garlic, onions and every herb you can think of! Then there are the perennials blueberries, raspberries, italian parsley, chives, sage & jerusalem artichokes.

Today we harvested the last of our onions, potatoes, & raspberries. The soil has been turned and the composting has begun. This is a sad time because I won't be able to walk into my backyard and harvest dinner. I barely had to go to the market for veggies or herbs this summer, it was so satisfying that I was growing my own meals.

However now that we are entering into the fall the real cooking begins. Summer meals are all about simple preparations, showing off the freshness of each ingredient. Autumn and Winter are when you turn to food for comfort from the stress of work or the chilly weather. Cooking in the colder seasons takes more creativity and is more of a challenge. I am a huge believer in one pot meals, not just to have less dishes to wash but because you can create something with such complex flavour yet it is so simple to prepare.

I am a little behind in creating the fall menu for my catering company so in the next few weeks I will be going to the markets to see what produce is still available and testing out new recipes and revamping old ones. I will share any "wows" or just tips to cooking for the fall with you.

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