A MONTH OF PUTTING UP THE HARVEST - Day 10

August 14, 2015 Luka Symons

Lemon thyme and sage. Garden companions destined for tasty salads.

Welcome to Friday, my pretties. It's the end of the week, a hot week at that, so for today's instalment of Luka's Daily Posts of How She Is Keeping Summer Going For Colder Times, I wanted to do something delicious, SO STINKIN EASY and very quick. And very rewarding. Shall we get on with it?

A MONTH OF PUTTING UP THE HARVEST - Day 9

August 13, 2015 Luka Symons

Baby cold corn from Kohut Farms. Nothing like this, my friends. #harvest2015

Today is a great day to ferment. If you don't know already, I'm a fermenty kind of gal: I'll ferment everything, from spices and herbs to beverages to fruit to all vegetables grown under the sun. I'm a little bit like these two. So when a friend of mine recently asked if I'd like to partake in the harvest of small baby cold corn from Kohut Farms just north of the city, I said well now of COURSE I will!

A MONTH OF PUTTING UP THE HARVEST - Day 8

August 12, 2015 Luka Symons

Garlic love. No vampires here. #harvest2015

Today's post is an experiment for me this year. I have grown garlic for the last few years, and it is one of my favourite things to grow: when it comes from your own back yard and it is as fresh as it gets, one clove equals two or three in a recipe. Garlic is really one of those super foods that is a natural anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, a fabulous anti-inflammatory power house, it's reportedly beneficial to heart health, lends a hand in the uptake of certain minerals, is a boon to your liver's detox work in helping keep cancer at bay, I mean the list goes on and on. Oh yes, it's high in Selenium (brilliant for your liver and your thyroid), Manganese (for blood sugar support, good for collagen/skin building, detoxification), vitamin C (immune, natural anti-histamine, skin support, liver detox) and vitamin B6 (metabolism, digestion, numerous enzyme processes in the body especially brain and nervous health, and liver detox too). So all of your organs just called me, and said thanks for the garlic love. NOW GET TO IT.

A MONTH OF PUTTING UP THE HARVEST - Day 7

August 11, 2015 Luka Symons

Making fresh pesto and freezing it in cubes is a brilliant way to preserve the season's bounty. #harvest2015

Yesterday, it was quick-and-easy-dried-herbs. Today, another clever (and most delicious!) way to conserve that summer herby bounty: may I introduce you to MAKE YOUR OWN PESTO. WITH WHAT YA GOT ON HAND. See, I was up in the NE part of the city this morning and I stopped, as I always do when I'm there, in my favourite foodie haunts. One of these is the Italian Store, a side business to Scarpone's next door. They carry lots of fun things that may be hard to find in your regular grocery store, and one of my favourites: copious amounts of arugula and basil. They also tend to, from time to time, have some local produce and so I thought I'd stop by there this morning to see if inspiration would hit. AND AYE CHEE POW it did.

A MONTH OF PUTTING UP THE HARVEST - Day 6

August 10, 2015 Luka Symons

Today is Monday, a perfect day for a harvest. This is one of those things that is dead easy, and for whatever reason, I have a hard time ever getting around to this most summers. I don't know why, it's really so quick and again, big bang for your investment/buck/time. Let's keep this one short and sweet kids. Hanging herbs to dry. It's really just what it seems: you pick herbs, and tie them together, and leave them to dry. Done deal.