Simple, summer celebratory meals that reflect the seasonal abundance

“If only I had hand-picked strawberries and local potatoes—oh, and a greenhouse with an avocado tree—this breakfast would be transformed,” I mused. I’ve learned to keep thoughts like these to myself, knowing my kids would roll their eyes.

There is this “thing” I do with every meal as a way of giving thanks: I consider what’s local and seasonal, from where or whom I procured the ingredients, and what elements I could improve to make the meal even more local and seasonal. Weird? Perhaps. OCD? Hardly. Playful? Not exactly. Mostly, I’m tuned in to how good fresh food tastes! In essence, “fresh” indicates locally grown and recently harvested, which also translates into seasonal unless you’re talking about hydroponics (which I’m not).

Aloud, I asked my kids what they thought of the milk. They looked at me, curious, cocking their heads. My daughter turned to her milk and said, “It looks yellower than normal,” while my son took another sip. “I don’t know, mom, but it tastes good.” Hm. I was hoping for more.

I reminded them about visiting the small farm in Glenn’s Ferry, Wild Spaces Farm, after the final winter hockey weekend. My daughter asked, “What do they do with the milk after they get it from the cows?” I said, “Not much—there’s a stainless steel vat in the Milk Barn where they quickly bring the warm milk down to a cool temperature, to reduce the potential for opportunistic bacteria to grow.” I lost them somewhat.

“So, this milk is going to make us sick?” my son asked.

“No, honey, it’s offering us more nutrients than most other milks on the market,” I replied.

He mocked, “Oh, riiight. The quaaality meets my staaandards.”

“The thing I like about milk is that you don’t have to hurt the animals,” my daughter reflected. I couldn’t help but compare the small herd of cows grazing on open pasture at Wild Spaces Farm, versus the cows we see in muddy, cramped feedlots on our way to Twin Falls—cows we can smell miles before we see them.

Besides the raw milk, a rare treat because it’s hard to obtain, breakfast was relatively normal: Poached eggs from Ee-Da-Ho ranch’s pasture-raised hens; sourdough toast I made with a mixture of Hillside Grain flours; avocado from who-knows-where; microgreens from Gem State Greens; leftover fries from sweet potatoes grown somewhere; oranges hand-delivered by our California friends; grapefruit from my dad’s trees in Arizona; and blueberries from a plastic container.

It’s rare to find local citrus or avocado. I could have made purple potatoes I bought from Agrarian Harvest at a previous farmers market. I wished we could pick fresh strawberries from one of many houses we’d lived in over the years. Otherwise, I was pleased with the well-balanced meal (because, yes, I’m a nutritionist mom and think about nutrients, too), the colorful array of whole foods, and the many ingredients from people we know.

Right now, with farmers markets in full swing, at the forefront of my meal-planning mindset is what’s in season? Then, I create meals around those foods. You can, too! With the holiday weekend ahead, it’s the perfect time to make a meal or three with small farm, local and American-grown food in celebration our country—and to celebrate the people who feed us well.

If you live in the Idaho mountains, you may think seasonal options are limited. I assure you, it’s abundant!

What’s in season right now in Idaho? Carrots, peas, rhubarb, radishes, turnips, potatoes garlic scapes and greens—bok choy, lettuces, herbs, kale, microgreens, spinach—plus fruits like cherries, strawberries and raspberries. Over the coming weeks, plenty of other produce will be ripening. For now, we have the ingredients for some delish meal ideas for summer celebrations.

The key to every recipe below is local, seasonal food. Wherever you live, find something grown on a small farm or garden. No farmers market? Volunteer in a community garden or help a friend who’s gardens need weeded and harvested in exchange for productive abundances.

SUMMER RECIPE CONCEPT: Pair fresh produce with locally raised meats, legumes, grains or other frozen, dried or preserved staple foods like pasture raised beef, pork and lamb; teff, wheat berries and ancient grains; peas, lentils and beans; and also raw honey. If you’re lucky, you live in an area with quality artisan cheese, nuts or seeds, and wild or cultivated mushrooms.

Ideas for simple summer meals that highlight seasonal abundance:

BREAKFAST.

·      Frittata with chopped kale and herbs, mushrooms, sausage, pasture-raised eggs and local bread (or your own sourdough using local flour), artisan cheese and microgreens.

·      Goat yogurt or labneh, lemon curd using backyard eggs, fresh rasbberries or compote.

LUNCH.

·      Mixed green salad with radishes, carrots with hard-boiled eggs and homemade dressing with freshly minced herbs.

·      Open-faced sandwich on ancient grain bread with fresh cheese, sliced radishes, sustainably farmed smoked trout and a colorful side of snap peas, carrot sticks and cherries.

DINNER.

·      Ground lamb kafta, cucumber-garlic scape-yogurt-mint sauce, herbed potato fries and honey glazed roasted carrots.

·      Pork brats with kraut on sourdough buns and a simple mixed greens salad.

·      Honey-glazed wild salmon or steelhead with roasted bok choy and baby turnips over herbed wheat berry salad.

·      Bean or lentil burgers topped with local cheese and microgreens and a side of sauteed mushrooms and garlicky kale, spinach or Swiss chard.

·      White beans with garlic scape pesto over arugula with fresh cherry tomatoes.

DESSERT.

·      Cherry cobbler using local milk, eggs and flour.

·      Strawberry rhubarb pie topped with local yogurt or homemade ice cream using local cream.