harvest...yum...

Since I just posted about the tomatoes in the guest room, I couldn't resist sharing a pic and a little about the delicious meal that came from them! Thank you - lovely little tomatoes - for letting me make one of my very favorite dishes out of ingredients mainly harvested from right here at home. If you live out in the land of lush farmers market's - this sort of dish is so easy and wonderful this time of year, and of course it looks beautiful. Oh, and thank you to my husband for crawling around in the dirt for the last two weeks so we can have running water and doing it all without destroying my garden.

In a saucepan saute fresh garlic in olive oil(this garlic was bought at Juneau's Farmers Market - hurray we finally have one!). Ad some fresh greens, I used kale and arugula from the garden. Slice fresh cherry tomatoes in half or chunk regular size tomatoes into bite size pieces. It makes all the difference that the tomatoes are fresh for this, I also think a mix of colors is fun! Tear up some fresh basil (this is also the first year I have ever been even somewhat successful with basil). I added garbanzo beans for some protein, but I don't always do that just depends on what you're after, it's good either way. Saute all together until the tomatoes start to break down and their juices mix with the olive oil and garlic to make a sauce. Salt and pepper to taste and some crushed red pepper flakes for a lil' kick. Toss with whatever sort of pasta you prefer, I used rigatoni for this because I love the way the sauce get's stuck in the ridges and fills up the middle. Mmmmmm...When it's ready to serve sprinkle each plate with a bit of feta cheese, but again, you could really use whatever you prefer. The end result - simple and delicious - the best kind of food.

There are lots of ways to vary this, you can ad any veggies you want and it will taste great, so long as it's fresh! I think fresh green beans this time of year are delicious in a dish like this as is zucchini. Happy eating and happy harvest time. Enjoy your gardens and your markets and for those of you who live down south, don't take those amazing tomatoes for granted! Here's hoping we get enough sun to turn more of my green tomatoes those amazing shades of red and yellow.