Week of July 7, 2008

The growing season is getting into full swing! We will start seeing the first of the field grown tomatoes. See the previous weeks' entries for recipes. Try some of the other varieties and colors you might see. How pretty these are sliced and presented on a pretty plate!

Green peppers will start appearing as well as other varieties. Try this recipe to use the bounty. Eggplant can be used for a jambalya, which will also use banana peppers and tomatoes. Zucchini and yellow summer squash continue to be prolific, so here is another way to fix these gems while they are here. Follow these links for cabbage and broccoli for new ideas for your meal planning.

Green beans will start being avaliable in mass quantities! Here is another recipe, but this is the time to order that bushel so you can can (not dance!). A bushel weighs 30 pounds which will give you about 15 quarts (2 pounds per quart per this canning guide). Have lots of freezer space and no way to can? Try your hand at freezing.

And can it be? Corn will be there, too! You should be able to find both white and bi-color varieties. Use that zucchini with some of that corn in this recipe.

Blackberries are starting to get ripe, so get those cobbler recipes ready. Need something different? Check out this recipe for some muffins.

Of particular note are the fresh eggs available at the Simon Kenton Market. We don't think much about variety when it comes to eggs, but stop by this market to get your thinking changed. You will find chicken eggs with "normal" shells and green shells (you really can have green eggs and ham!), duck eggs and guinea eggs (smaller with harder shells).

And be sure to mark your calendars for the Kenton County Fair, July 14 through July 19. You can pick up your 2008 Kenton County Fair book at our office or check out the kentoncountyfair.com website. New this year is a Fresh Salsa Contest on July 18. See page 23 of the fair book.