Many of you early-bird gardeners that planted your vegetable gardens in March and April are already beginning to harvest those juicy tomatoes, sweet peppers, crispy green beans and cucumbers. For those of you who didn't plant early, don't fret; with our long growing season, you still have time! After the months of planning, planting, fertilizing, watering and weeding, the next step is figuring out new ways to use the wonderful bounty of fresh vegetables that you've produced! I want to share a couple of recipes I use that have become summer favorites with my family and friends. Please enjoy... Leslie

The first is a simple pesto sauce that can be used with your favorite pasta or
boiled new potatoes or as an ingredient in a myriad of other recipes.

Pesto Sauce
4 cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
1/2 cup good olive oil
2 cloves garlic
6 sprigs parsley
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup pine nuts (walnut or almonds may be substituted)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Place the basil in a blender or food processor. Add the oil, garlic, parsley, salt,
pepper and pine nuts and blend until the ingredients are all finely chopped. You
may need to add a little extra oil to help it blend more smoothly. Remove from
the blender and stir in the grated cheese. I like to toss in another little handful of whole pine nuts for added texture. Toss with freshly cooked pasta. When you serve the pesto, be sure to offer more fresh parmesan to sprinkle over the top.

If you're not going to use the sauce right away, store it in a covered container.
(Pour a thin layer of olive oil over the surface of the sauce to maintain it's bright green color. Sauce may be frozen as well).Makes about 2 cups

The next recipe is a chilled vegetable soup that is perfect when served for lunch
or as a refreshing first course for supper on a hot summer evening.

Gazpacho
8 large tomatoes, peeled
2 medium green peppers
1 bunch scallions
1 medium sweet red onion
2 large cucumbers, peeled
4 - 5 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons salt
6 tablespoons wine or cider vinegar
3 large slices french bread, crumbled
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 cups tomato juice
4 cups water

Mince all the vegetables into small pieces. Combine the garlic, oil, salt, vinegar,
white pepper, paprika and crumbled french bread together in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the minced vegetables to this sauce. Mix the tomato juice and water together and pour this over the sauce and minced vegetables. Refrigerate until well chilled. Serve in chilled soup cups or tall chilled glasses. Makes 8 servings

These two recipes were adapted from recipes that appeared The California Heritage Cookbook and Jeff Smith's Frugal Gourmet Cookbook.

I remember when, as a small child, my grandparents brought home a bottle of fruit wine they had bought that had a pear in the bottle. It still is one of the most interesting and unique novelty items I have every come across. In fact, the practice of growing pears in the bottle dates back hundreds of years, to Alsace, France where pear brandy is a local tradition.

Growing these "Pears-in-Bottle" starts in late May, when the small pear will still fit in the neck of the bottle. The correct way to do this is to slip the pear in, while still on the branch, and tie the bottle to the tree so that the bottles neck faces down. This helps to prevent condensation from building up inside the bottle and ruining the fruit. The bottle should be left in place until ready to harvest, typically in late August.

Once the pear is fully grown, and the bottle has been harvested, the only thing to do is to rinse the bottle out as thoroughly as possible, and add the wine! We have included a recipe for pear wine below, or you can simply purchase a bottle and use that!

Pear Wine Recipe
(It is strongly advised that you read further on proper wine-making techniques before attempting to make your own wine!)
Pears 4.5 lb
Sugar 1 lb
1 lb Potassium Sorbate
Citric Acid
Water 1 gallon
Pectic Enzyme
Wine yeast
Yeast nutrient

Chop up the pears and place into a large fermenting bin. Add the sugar and citric acid to the bin and then boil the water and pour in. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved then leave to cool. Once cool, add the pectice enzyme, stir and leave for 24 hours. Add the yeast and nutrient and then place in a warm place. Stir daily for 5 days then rack off into a carboy and fit a bung and airlock. Rack off for the first time after 3 months. Prior to bottling, add the potassium sorbate to stabilise and prevent additional fermentation.

This is a fun and easy recipe. Great for summer barbeques, pool parties, or for sippin' on the back porch!

Use these on candy trays, as a garnish for fruit cups, as a decoration on cakes or pies, or to adorn a serving platter for a special meal.

A handful of strongly scented rose petals will delicately flavor a punch for any party.

These make a healthful snack the kids should love! A nicely wrapped sample, with the recipe attached, also makes a good holiday gift.

Have a recipe we should add? Please use the comments box below to add it to the site.