It’s the home stretch of summer, when markets are teeming with fresh sweet corn, peppers, peaches, squash, tomatoes and melons. I’m pretty sure my kids would happily live on corn and watermelon, but the other veggies are too tasty to pass up. On a recent market trip, the foodie boy was particularly smitten with this curly-q eggplant.

To make use of as many veggies in one dish as possible, I recreated the Oyamel dish the foodie tot loved at Union Market’s summer picnic. Squash and tomatoes are diced nearly as small as corn kernels and the dish is quickly sautéed so that the tomatoes release their juices, creating a warm stew that is a perfect summer side — and the ultimate summer dish for finger-eating toddlers, too. Get the recipe below.

And speaking of market trips … our busy summer weekends have made us especially grateful to have two Sunday markets to choose from, the West End Alexandria Farmers Market (9am to 1pm) and the new Westover Farmers Market (8am to noon) in Arlington.

We paid a long overdue to our favorite Amish cheese/yogurt seller, Mr. Tom, at West End recently. Papa’s Orchard peaches were spectacular, and the kids’ eggplant/pepper/tomato binge took place under the F.J. Medina & Sons tent. We followed up our cheese snack with a Westmoreland berry and Vera’s pastries picnic in the park. (Then, turtle watching!)

At Westover, Black Rock Orchard and Bigg Riggs are is the must-visits for stone fruit — and early season apples (yes, already!). Smith Family Farm offers grass-fed meats, Blue Ridge Dairy provides mozzarella, ricotta and more, and always-popular Atwater’s Bakery and Baguette Republic have your bread needs covered.

Recipe: Quick Stewed Summer Squash and Corn

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
2 zucchini, diced
2 ears corn, shucked and kernels cut from cob
2 large tomatoes, diced
handful fresh epazote or basil
Kosher salt
pepper
optional: crumbled goat cheese or feta or queso blanco

Instructions:
1. Prep and cut all vegetables before you begin cooking. Zucchini should be diced nearly as small as corn kernels.
2. Heat olive oil in sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 4 minutes.
3. Add zucchini to pan and cook until just beginning to soften, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes to pan and cook until juices are released.
5. Add corn and simmer just until warmed, about 2 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and season with salt, pepper, and fresh herbs. Optional: top with crumbled feta or goat cheese. Serve immediately.

watermelon for breakfast … on Whidbey Island, Washington

and fabulous coffee, cheese & donuts in Portland, Oregon

we rode on planes (4), trains (2), boats (2) and automobiles (many); saw cool critters (at the Oregon Zoo/Multnomah Falls); and there were birthday cakes, too (x 2)

& you?

This is the official first day of summer (is anyone else tired of explaining to their kids that it isn’t quite summer yet after June 1? can’t we just align the seasons to the calendar already??) — and the biggest item on our family’s summer checklist: eat outdoors. We may have to string some bug netting around the yard to do so (grr mosquitoes!), but picnics by the river, dinner in the backyard, fresh berries on the farm and cook-outs are definitely in order.

the boy prepares to challenge mosquitoes ... with a bat, naturally

Yesterday when I arrived to pick the boy up from school, he was busy making a popsicle with black and red blocks. “Strawberry and burnt marshmallow” flavor, he explained. I realized he’s never roasted marshmallows before, and started trying to explain the concept of s’mores to him. (And mentally added s’mores roasting to our weekend agenda!)

And if you need more ideas of things to do outdoors this summer, here are two:

The Great American Backyard Campout is this Saturday, June 25 — sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation and REI. Visit their website for events near you or just camping tips you can use this summer. … Speaking of REI, when we stopped in to buy our summer sandals, I was delighted to find this nifty — and free — Kids’ Adventure Journal to help little ones document their summer adventures. (And spur them off the computer and out doors!) If you don’t have an REI store near you, you can download the journal from their website.

KaBOOM is launching a Park-a-Day challenge — asking parents and kids to visit as many parks as they can this summer. Why? To get your kids active, of course, but also to find new playspaces in your neighborhood while helping KaBOOM create a map of parks and playgrounds and highlight areas where playspaces are lacking or in need of improvement. Visit their website to find a playspace or submit your reviews.

The foodie tot is already getting excited about this. “Will we go to a playground we’ve never been to before?” he asked eagerly. (And yesterday, “Can we go to a swimming pool we’ve never been to before?” Why not!)

Stay tuned for some Foodie Tots’ picnic-friendly recipes. In the meantime, what’s your favorite thing to eat outdoors?

I wasn’t kidding about squeezing every last bit of summer out of the month. Today may be the first day of fall, but don’t pack up the ice cream maker just yet. It’s supposed to reach 90 degrees in DC again today, and you can still find sweet white nectarines at the farmers market. So I implore you, take some home and make a batch of this sweet summer gelato before it’s too late. (Or, save it for some of those peaches you froze for winter. Ice cream is a year-round food, in my opinion.)

Recipe: Nectarine Gelato

Ingredients:

• 5 medium-sized nectarines
• 5 egg yolks (preferably from your local egg farmer)
• 2 cups cream-top whole milk (or just whole milk)
• 1 cup organic cane sugar, divided
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste (or extract)
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions: Coarsely chop nectarines (no need to peel) and place them in a non-reactive saucepan. Combine with 1/2 cup sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, almond extract and nutmeg and bring to a simmer over medium low heat. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fruit is soft and you can mash it with the back of the spoon. Let cool, then puree in a blender or food processor.

In a heavy-bottomed pot, warm milk and the other 1/2 cup of sugar over medium heat just until bubbles begin to appear and sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks well for about a minute. Ladle the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking continuously, one spoonful at a time until you’ve incorporated about half the milk into the eggs. Then pour the eggs/milk back into the remaining milk in the pot. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium low heat until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of your spoon. Remove from heat, stir in the nectarine purée and let cool. Transfer to a bowl or pitcher, cover, and chill overnight or for at least 8 hours in the refrigerator.

Process the chilled mixture according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. I have the KitchenAid ice cream maker and mix it on medium low for about 12 minutes. Transfer to a tupperware container and freeze until firm, about 4 more hours. Makes 1 quart. Enjoy!

Note: You can adjust the sugar in the nectarines according to the sweetness of your fruit.

It’s been a while since I’ve shared what we’ve been getting in our CSA bag, from Potomac Vegetable Farms. Of course tomatoes were the star over the past month or so, along with lots of beans, onions and garlic. Oddly, we went for three weeks without a zucchini, only to get two small ones last week. And of course now that my own, once-prolific basil succumbed in our last crushing heat wave, we aren’t getting it from the CSA either. As summer winds down, we continue to get peppers and squash (though summer squash is giving way to butternut), and eggplant.

Now I find eggplant quite lovely to look out, but they’ve been piling up in my fridge as I lacked the motivation to make something with them. I finally decided to try a ratatouille and searched the food blogs for inspiration. I came across this one from Smitten Kitchen, inspired by the movie. Well, duh. If a rat could make something delicious out of it, surely I could. Unfortunately the movie endorsement didn’t hold much sway with the boy, who declared that “only rats eat ratatouille!” I happened to find it quite delicious, with the addition of some cherry tomatoes from our garden and freshly-grated parmesan cheese. And aside from slicing the vegetables (which you can do earlier in the day, if you have time), it’s relatively fast as you simply arrange the sliced squash, peppers and eggplant in the baking dish, season, and toss in the oven. Make a side salad while it cooks and voila, a simple meatless supper to savor the waning days of summer. Enjoy!

Recipe: Baked Ratatouille
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 1 zucchini
• 1 eggplant
• 1 red pepper
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano (unless you have fresh on hand)
• sea salt
• pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (plus more to oil baking dish)

Instructions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush shallow baking dish with olive oil. Thinly slice the zucchini, eggplant and pepper. In the baking dish, spread tomato sauce on the bottom. Add garlic, and a pinch of salt. Over the sauce, arrange alternating slices of zucchini, pepper and eggplant in rows across the dish. Season with another pinch of salt and pepper.

Sprinkle oregano over vegetables, then tuck cherry tomato halves in between the rows. Drizzle olive oil over the top. Cover with a piece of parchment paper, trimmed to fit inside the pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until vegetables are tender when pricked with a fork. Remove from oven and sprinkle parmesan cheese over top. Serve warm or cold. Makes 4 servings.

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