The At Home cooking Series Installment #: Summer Cooking

Cooking with the seasons can be fun, inspiring, and a great way to use the freshest ingredients available. I try to buy local and help support the community as much as possible. Knowing where the best quality produce is available, can bring more exciting and consistent flavors to your plate.

Some of my favorite summer ingredients include: basil, heirloom tomatoes, broccoli, summer squash, cherries, peaches, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, eggplant, okra, green Beans, cucumbers, cantaloupe, radishes, beets, plums, watermelon, corn, and a plethora of other colorful and flavor packed varieties. In the summer I tend to cook lighter, allowing the vegetables’ natural flavors and sweetness to come forward and take focus on the plate.

Marinades are a great way to enhance any fresh produce. Sometimes I drizzle a little apple cider or balsamic vinegar, with a touch of organic olive oil over heirloom tomatoes or fresh sliced peaches. It doesn’t take much, and really enhances their flavor profiles.

One of my favorite summer cooking techniques is grilling outside. Grilling is a fun, outdoor, casual way to prepare just about anything. Not many people think about the benefits of grilling fruits and various vegetables, as they tend to yield unpleasant flavors when overcooked. If you can learn how to monitor the temperature of the grill, learn the hot spots, and properly cut your fruits and veggies to ensure even cooking, the grill can become your favorite source of summer cooking. I also enjoy grilling outdoors because it helps keep the heat out of the kitchen!

I am a big fan of chilled soups in the summer, and there are so many recipes to choose from. Many of the soups can be fresh purees of fresh and seasonal ingredients, or you may choose to lightly cook the ingredients before pureeing them. Whichever method you choose, be sure to focus on balance and texture. One mistake that home cooks often make when preparing soups is the final adjustment in seasoning. This may take a more experienced palate, but using fresh herbs, and even just a little salt, may kick your soup up to the next level.

Fresh berries are one of the many joys of summer, and thinking "outside the box" with these tiny flavor packed morsels can be fun, and rewarding. Whether it’s a salsa, soup, sauce, pie, filling, or just tossed in a salad, seasonal summer berries are bound to pack a punch. If the summer harvest yields more than you can handle, try freezing the berries for future use.

Cooking with organics and vegetarian dishes are at their best in the summer. The availability of a large variety of organically grown vegetables is abundant, and they create amazing vegetarian appetizers, salads, and entrees. Let the natural flavors speak for themselves. For some great ideas on how to cook organically, check out www.chefs-garden.com to see currently available produce and check out recipes from some of the hottest chefs in the world who use their products.

"If you can’t take the heat, stay out of the kitchen!" This phrase is all the more true when you live in sunny Florida, and keeping cool, cooking simple, and focusing on today’s harvest, will make Farmer Lee of Chef's Garden your culinary experience much more enjoyable. I wish you a healthy and happy summer, and hope these tips help you become a more successful home cook!