simple roast tomato soup

For the first few months of summer I take all the fresh stuff for granted–I’m nonchalant about abundant berries and corn. But come September I start to panic, which leads rather quickly to panic fruit-buying. For instance, two weeks ago I dragged the whole family to Union Square farmers market and bought 20 pounds of peaches, 6 pints of blueberries, 3 pints of blackberries, and 1 pint of raspberries. Let’s just say we’re all set in the jam department. Also the pie department. This week I made a reservation for 40 pounds of tomatoes. Gulp. I’ll be canning the tomatoes for sure, but I might also have to make this soup again.

Now that it really is fall you pretty much have to make soup, too. This one is has big tomato flavor with smoky notes and hints of fragrant herbs. It’s exactly what you want to be eating as the first leaves of fall flutter by. read more »

yellow watermelon salad

I’ve been pretty behind in things this summer. I do have a great reason, but I still can’t help feeling summer has slipped by. And now the weather has turned from muggy and sweltering to perfectly pleasant. Bright blue skies and crisp shadows mean that fall is near, and it’s time to frantically enjoy summer before it ends. Canning, freezing, berry picking, fig, blueberry, and tomato eating are among the late summer tasks on my agenda.

And before the apples, greens, cabbage, and squash start rolling in, here’s a colorful summer salad brimming with cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, watermelon, and fresh tarragon–perfect for picnics and outdoor parties. We used a yellow watermelon here, but regular watermelon will do just fine. This salad has lots of white pepper, and I love the subtle kick it lends. Head over to Babble.com’s Family Kitchen for our recipe.

tomato and cherry pazanella

So, here we are nearly halfway through August. After spending so much time thinking of nothing but July! July! I am a little unsure of how to conduct myself in this post-July world (not to mention the whole newborn thing–though it’s going pretty well). Time marches on, and the things we were waiting for, counting down to, somehow happen.

Happening also are all the tomatoes, cherries, plums, apricots, peaches, and corn I could want. I love that we can take produce for granted this time of year. Just grab a handful of fruit and eat it up, or pick the tomatoes right off the vine with no worries–there’s more where that came from. read more »

crushed canned tomatoes

Brooklyn Supper is happy to announce that we are now blogging daily for Babble.com’s The Family Kitchen. We are thrilled to join their stable of bloggers, and happy to share our recipes for sustainable, local, seasonal foods with Babble.com readers.

Last week, I wrote this post about canning crushed tomatoes. Summer is almost gone, but the tomatoes don’t have to be!

I also want to say a big THANK YOU!!! to our readers–without you none of this would have been possible.

cherry tomato confit

The Brooklyn Supper garden is doing pretty well despite the crazy east coast heat. The tomato plants,  while still producing heaps of fruit, start to look kind of doomed this time of year. I used to get really stressed and comb the internet for remedies, but really, I have the space I have, and I’d prefer to just let them do what they’re going to do and get on with my life. Last year I made these self watering containers, and the consistent moisture really helps. We have two green zebra plants, one yellow plum, and one sugar lump, and they have been keeping us in tomatoes for over a month. read more »