Cool As A....

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I'm on my tod this week. I'm free to enjoy all the garden bounty as I see fit. The first thing I see as fit is a Cucumber Tom Collins.



1/2 a large cucumber, peeled and seeded
3 large leaves of Shiso, or mint
1 1/2 oz. gin
1/2 oz. honey, or more to your taste.
1/2 oz. lemon juice
ice

Make a loose puree of cucumber and Shiso and honey. Place in a shaker with the remaining ingredients. Shake and strain into a glass.



Refresh yourself!




There were some broad beans that filled out, they are tender and just enough for me. The plants promise more soon though. I made a few cold salads, in the "keeping cool" theme. The first one is, you guessed it, broad beans. They are also known as Fava beans.




I planted two kinds of the beans. One is a green variety and the other is red. I brought the seeds back with me from England.





To start blanche and shock the beans. Remove the outer casing of the bean.



Cold Broad Bean Salad

1 lb. broad beans
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 clove garlic
1 chopped cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 c. chopped tomato
1/4 c. chopped flat leaf parsley
a couple of handfuls of parmesan shards.
2 tbsp. capers

The pods of the beans are very good to feed back to the soil. Compost them!



I also have peas coming from the garden. These were used in a chicken salad



Cold Chicken and Pea Salad

1 prepared chicken, meat removed and lightly shredded
1 c. peas
1/2 c. mayo
2 tbsp. dijon
1/2 c. chopped peanuts
squeeze of lemon
several sprigs of basil, chopped
4 scallions chopped
1 small clove of garlic

Blend ingredients together and chill.






The salads shown on my plate are garnished with arugula flowers. I will be doing more with those soon.




Stroll through the garden. It is alright to take your time.







Here is my last bag of onion sets. I am planting those tomorrow, hoping to get lots more scallions from them. Also on the planting list is kale and broccoli. The lettuce is bolting now and I already planted more and they are sprouting already.



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Summer bachelors, like summer breezes, are never as cool as they pretend to be. -- Nora Ephron



Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. ~Russel Baker