The day that we returned back from the coast, we gave a last looksee at the fruit trees before piling into the vehicles. Peaches were picked and carefully packed away to ripen back at the ranch, pears examined, and plums tasted. The plums next to the deck were still green, round and firm, but with a good flavor, blending a note of sour with a nice sweetness. We enjoyed eating them and talking about them in the yard under the tree, collecting them and putting them into a paper bag.
While we were standing there, my Dad came over with a small bright, almost electric translucent green bitten-into fruit, saying this is what he had been looking for since last summer. I eagerly stepped forward to taste it myself, and it turned out to be a plum as well, though a specimen so far exceeding the other as to make the former almost pale in comparison. This plum, though green in color and still not to its full ripeness, was juicy and rich and flavorful, making my mouth water just thinking about it. I wish I could explain it better, but my skills at culinary descriptions are still fledgling and are in no way ready to attempt such an account. I guess you’ll just have to take my word for it, it was damn good. Those little plums, quite hidden away from much previous attention at the front of the drive next to the hedge, had us all in raptures that morning, and I don’t believe I am exaggerating.
When we returned to the ranch, the majority of the family went to the opening day of the county fair. Having already been traveling, I decided to stay home with the small group that was going to go the following day (which I already posted about as you may have seen). In the evening, as the sun set behind the western ridge of our little valley turning the tint of light from golden to blue, we went out for a garden tour. Every time we are gone from the ranch for a period of time, we like to make a garden tour to see the growths and changes of the plants. This time, everything seemed bigger, and filled the space around it as to begin to close the gaps around the individual plants. There was an explosion of leaves, tendrils, flowers, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, giant pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants both deep purple and white. The sunflowers were magnificent, tall and stately, mutely watching our progress with our rum and cokes through the rows.
It was that evening that we ate our first tomato of the year, fresh off the vine while we stood in the tomato rows. It had been eaten slightly, and my Dad cut off the bad part, and handed the tomato to us. It was juicy and oh so tomato-y. There is nothing like eating a tomato picked right then and there, still holding some of the day’s heat and slightly dusty, streaming juices and flavors down your hand.
For dinner, I made one of our very favorite summer meals of cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes and cottage cheese (though in this case I used cherry tomatoes as only that one tomato was ready to be eaten). The vegetables are so fresh, and so full of flavor, that they have barely any need of anything else beyond a sprinkling of salt and pepper. The cottage cheese is a nice compliment, making the salad taste richer and even more gratifying. Sometimes we add fresh shallots as well, and the peppers can be any variety, from bells to ones with more heat. It was delicious.
{Summer Salad}
{This is one I had the next day}
