There are many signs that the summer has arrived, and is here.
First of which, as we can all feel, it is much warmer. It's so hot that one checks the weather for tomorrow to know what to wear. It's so hot that the dryer at home is now by far less relevant than the fans and the air conditioner – so hot that if you forget to water the plants twice a day (and leave a bowl of water for stray cats) they look very sad. Hot enough to make us wonder actually, why not Uganda? what are the chances that the temperatures there are as high as here. At some point we also begin counting the days that remained until the holidays of Tishrei, or more accurately – until Sukkot, because then the desire to flee from here to Switzerland is considerably lower. The second sign is jellyfish. There is a site that displays the presence of jellyfish, and for those who plan to spend a day at the beach and do not want to bathe with animals that are 90% sharp stingy jelly, you might want to check in with them (even if you are not one of those who tend to run over the waves upon any jellyfish encounter, you might want to take a little vinegar with you). A third sign, especially if you have young children at home who are now celebrating their freedom from school, is the fact that now you have to prepare three meals a day. Every day.
So what do we eat during the summer vacation? There are several factors to consider here. First of all, since it's hot – light foods, that are suitable for Mediterranean diets will be the best choice. Less dough, more vegetables and fruit. Second, it is reasonable to assume that each parent prefers his child to eat fresh, nutritious and satisfying food, while the children's preferences are often influenced by the availability of food in the refrigerator, with a preference for strong flavors. This is why it is so hard for us to beat a pizza, or any other food that was soaked in flavor enhancers… A third consideration is the amount of time it takes to prepare the food. Since the children are home more, and may want to snack all the time, and the parents typically are not provided with time off, nor an in-house cook, it would be wise to consider options for making quick meals and snacks. If so – we want to find ideas for easy to digest, healthy, and quickly prepared foods. Easy, isn't it?
Luckily for us, Mother Nature has created for us a most thoughtful variety of foods that can be under the title "suitable for children during the summer vacation," simple and with love. The morning can be started with fruits (recommended) they contain sugar that give energy, but not by the quantities and qualities of other foods that children tend to eat in the morning, such as cornflakes. Melons or watermelons neatly sliced or dices and placed in the refrigerator the night before, or fruit salad (banana, papaya, peach, for example) can make a wonderful breakfast for all the people in the house. For those who still want to add a little more complex carbohydrate to extend the time it lasts – you can add to the fruit salad a little granola, and yogurt.
Onward, lunch, which sometimes blends in with dinner (since the kids wake up late, breakfast turns into brunch and there's time for one more meal). Here too you can rely on organic vegetables as an excellent solution – cooked corn with a little salt and butter will do the job, and a nice spaghetti squash (as we know, requires a short steam and some seasoning, or sauce). Basic vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers), cut big with the remains of the old bread, become a local Panzanella salad. Vegetables unsuitable for a salad, such as eggplant, sweet potato and cauliflower, go into the oven smothered in olive oil and become the antipasti. With a few pickles on the table and some tahini sauce – dinner is ready. Those who love to snack, and those who declare they are hungry a few minutes after the meal is over, can have plates of cut up fruit and vegetables in the refrigerator, until the next meal.
Have a wonderful summer!
To health!
Yours,
The garden team
We can expect to receive in our organic vegetable baskets (draft only):
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Potatoes
Eggplant
Cabbage
Parsley
Kale
Pumpkin
In the LARGE vegetable baskets also:
Onion
Beets
Cilantro
In the organic fruit baskets:
Half a watermelon
Grapefruit
Bananas
In the LARGE fruit baskets also:
Melon
Sweetie
