Reading this story caught my attention of all the fruit filled dishes that you can make during the summer. It also reminded me of the dishes that my grandmother makes during the summer. Her dishes included peach cobbler, apple pies, blueberry muffins, and pineapple upside down cake. My favorite breakfast is blueberry cinnamon pancakes. They’re so fluffy, sweat, and also easy to make. When I was younger I enjoyed going to the strawberry patch to pick strawberries they were so fresh and juicy when I ate them afterwards. Some of the best dishes come from the fruits that sprout in the summer.
@Lyric
Pineapple?
We just made the blueberry cornmeal shortbread recipe and it was so delicious. The cornmeal crust was a good twist on a traditional crust and really set off the berries. However we are not sure why baking powder was used in the crust because it is effectively unleavened without an acid to activate it (stomach beware). We are keeping the recipe but crossing off the baking powder.
You missed out one of the greatest of all summer fruit desserts: British Summer Pudding.
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The article includes both a recipe for & photo for summer pudding.
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Sadly, here in San Francisco, with organic stone fruits at $3.50/pound (tomatoes the same), this is a problem I *wish* I had.
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this is sort of late. should have been out mid july. in a week or two people will be thinking about apple pickin season. blueberries and stone fruit almost over. strawberries peak in june.
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31 Sundays in a row...I'm glad I'm not the only one with August angst...
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Recently retired, I only just learned at a chance driveway meeting of my duplex (we are both divorced women with grown children) that I can slice peaches, strawberries, bananas, or just lay blueberries on wax paper on a cookie sheet in the freezer for an hour or so, and then transfer them to plastic baggies to later add to oatmeal or thaw to have with sour cream, yogurt, cottage cheese, or whathaveyou.
The more perfectly ripe, the better.
Hopefully the leak under the fridge doesn't mean I'll be having fruit 3 times a day very soon.
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skip the plastic, use glass jars
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@Lone Poster
Bananas can be peeled and frozen whole. They're easy enough to slice even when frozen, with a heavy knife.
I put berries in a single layer in the metal insert of my toaster oven and stick them in the freezer. When they're frozen, I shovel them into zip-loc freezer bags (washed and reused many times).
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PLEASE write a column on what to do with the thousands of cherry tomatoes pouring out of my garden! (Other than gifting them to all and sundry, of course!)
@Donna I have a ridiculous amount of mini cherry tomatoes that are fabulous. I rinse them, drain, pat dry them and put them in gallon zipped bags in the freezer. Throughout the fall and winter, I take out handfuls for roast fish or chicken, add it to a sauce with capers, olives, golden raisins, or a myriad of toppings you could use tomatoes on. When it’s gray and cold outside, I add a burst of freshness to so many dishes. I do end up using quite a lot of freezer space for them but I find it worth it.
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@Concerned Citizen
Or cut them in half and dry them. I’ll put some in the freezer and keep some in the fridge. They’ll keep for at least a year if they’re completely dry when tossed into a freezer bag. I have some going in the dehydrator even as I type but I think you can also do them in the oven.
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@Donna
Pasta alla norma. There is a good NY Times recipe, "pasta alla norma my way" or just wing it using fresh or roasted cherry tomatoes.
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I love this article for perfectly articulating my very strong feelings about August.
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I wish I had 31 Sunday’s in a row!! I’m on a job where we are even working some Saturdays. Beach? Ha!! But I will reclaim summer with these beautiful fruit concoctions. Yum.
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Not to be contrarian, and I know you couldn't get an article out of the idea, but the best way to eat delicious, peak-season fruits and vegetables is just to wash them and eat them.
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@Junewell
Did you read the article? Or maybe you have a big family. She says (and it’s true) that one person can only eat so much fruit before it goes bad.
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I would enjoy that entire British summer pudding with a giant spoon. Sadly, that is not a joke.
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So much fruit, no quart jars for sale.
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yard sales and thrift stores have lots of glass jars
I don't quite understand why digital subscribers don't have access to the recipes. I used to just read the NYTimes online for free -- as most people can, but decided to pay my share and subscribe, but when I don't get to see everything, I wonder why I'm paying a monthly fee.
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I too am a digital subscriber, however, if you download the NYT cooking app, you’ll be able to view the recipes. I’ve tried it using Safari and the NYT app and I was able to immediately see the recipes.
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@Donna Walsifer I downloaded the app but you still have to paid a monthly or annual subscription in order to access the recipe. Unfortunately!
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@Donna Walsifer Thanks for this. I wasn't aware
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I hope everyone will forgive me for using this comments section to lament the fact that I cannot see the recipes included in this otherwise wonderful article.
I have already contacted the NYT, asking the paper to alter the Cooking section paywall to allow those of us who are digital subscribers of the paper to see all recipes when they are first published.
I had suggested that the paywall not block readers for a week, say, before it kicks in (if indeed it must at all; both of the other English-language newspapers I subscribe to -- The Washington Post and The Guardian -- include full access in the price of my paid subscriptions). The thinking behind this: when I lived in the States and purchased the physical paper, I might peruse the Wednesday cooking section over the course of several days.
It's a shame to be able to read this article but be blocked from accessing the recipes it presents. I'd love to add some delightful new recipes for fruit dishes (savory ones, too) since, just as in the States, the best fruit in this country is seasonal.
Buon appetito a tutti!
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@Smitaly See post above -- the app allows access, plus you can save recipes to a folder! And these are worth saving!
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@Jo It was very kind of you to write, Jo. Alas, I do not have any of the devices listed that the app can be used on. (I'm one of the few people I know who does not have a smartphone, making me a bit of an oddball, I realize.)
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I would love to be able to look at one of these recipes! I am a digital subscriber and every so often click on a food article but I can't even see one complementary recipe! It's too bad.
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*complimentary
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@Alison Reilly
You were right the first time. The recipe is complementary to the article. It would also be complimentary if viewing it were free--but it's not, as your comment notes in frustration.
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Why the scorn over freezing fruit, making jam, or otherwise preserving it? Doing so perfectly addressing the problem of too much fruit in the summer, not enough in the winter.
Sure you could buy your fresh fruit from Chile in the winter but how environmentally sustainable is that in the long run? Why not focus on local sources and do what generations of people before us have done instead in preserving food for the winter?
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@Scott Indeed, and freezer jam is excellent, and requires no cooking! Just mash the fruit and sugar and pectin (unless you are pectin-free!), pour, and freeze. It really is the taste of summer all year. Honestly, just mash fruit and sugar together, and freeze -- will be more syrupy, but still excellent flavor. Freezing fruit without sugar is possible (blueberries), but they do get freeze burn without the sugar boost. Delicious!
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@Jo no berries require sugar to keep them tasting fine when frozen. I freeze both whole berries and chunky sauce done quickly in the food processor and put in jars...200 lbs a year. Some of it not eaten until 2 years later (partner worries about ‘running out’ before summer) and it tastes great. We also can fruit compotes, not always with sugar (following baby food recipes) and again tastes great. Thankfully we can eat BC fruit all year round.
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My sister and I work together throughout the summer to can everything from fruit jams and jellies to pickled jalapenos and other peppers and Mexican salsas. We've even canned hot pepper mustard (who knew you can make your own spicy mustard?!) We chop and freeze fruits, all kinds of peppers, beans, peas, and corn. We are backyard gardeners and live in Mississippi so we crank up the A/C and sip chilled wine while we work. The reward comes in winter and early spring when we devour all the good stuff.
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As a friend of mine said 'August is the Sunday of the year.' Thank you for the recipes, perhaps I'll even make one of them and share it with friends while it's still summer!
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About heating up the kitchen . . . I suggest using a Breville oven for summer baking. It does not give off much heat at all, it uses far less electricity than a full-size oven, and it consumes little kitchen real estate. Before you start mixing, just make sure your baking dish fits the Breville. For instance, I found that 9 x 12 baking dishes with handles don't fit, so I had to purchase one with no handles.
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That is such great advice.... I too use my Breville more than my 36” stove. It doesn’t appear to impact the temperature of the whole kitchen (especially relative to the oven) and I’ve made even family sized lasagnes in it. You do need some extra counter space. The Breville is the beast!
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Apologies meant oven, not stove!
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@RES Another possibility is to make jam in a crock pot. Works just fine -- takes a long time to stew it all down, but that's just like having a house-guest that you love come for a good stay: taste periodically, and let it reduce till you're done. My way is to ask the grocery for the over-ripe fruit they can't sell and use that: you're already half-way there.
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It would be nice to see some main and side dish recipes using seasonal fruit. I cook with fruit a lot, but rarely eat desserts.
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@Rural Farmer Use peaches instead of tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and basil. Dress with olive oil, white balsamic vinegar and a little salt. I just had it for breakfast.
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@Rural Farmer Put your fruit on salad and on the grill. Nothing tastes like summer like cool, crisp, fresh salad greens and a sliced up peach and blueberries with a minty vinaigrette. And grill up those stone fruits and melons, that little caramelization kicks up the flavor in a new way!
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@Rural Farmer
Me too!
Since you cook with fruit a lot, Rural Farmer, won't you please share one of yours?
I often make salads with stone fruits and cucumbers dressed in sour cream dill dressing. Or I treat a halved fruit as I would a squash by baking (or microwaving) and just adding butter!
But I'd appreciate other suggestions!
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"31 Sundays in a row" would make for the longest August in history. I'll take it!
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If you can endure having your oven on for 45 minutes, what’s the difference in making jam? I’ve made dozens of jars and deep into winter, while Alison is dreaming of summer fruit, I’m spreading it on my toast or into my yogurt. Who says you can’t have your peach cake and eat it too?
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@Martha
Absolutely! I had two pounds of plums macerating in sugar in the fridge (since this draws out water from the fruit I find that it makes it evaporate quicker and makes it foam much less. And I think it just tastes better) and I just made jam tonight before bed. A small batch so it was't too bad, not like I was stirring a huge cauldron of jam. I had a small fan on low just to circulate cool air and I was fine. My oven heats up the kitchen way more than the stove-top -- the pre-heating, the baking, and the time it takes for the oven to cool after it's turned off. I also toss chopped fruit with sugar and freeze it for jam making in the winter in case I run out and want to use my local fruit.
A wonderful picture at the head of the article, although instead of bread I would prefer waffle-like crust.
But given the variety of summer sweet fruit, one can experiment with different mixtures under whipped creme, liqueurs, in their own juices, or even under iced coffee with cognac.
To keep in mind though are the different degrees of softness/hardness of the fruit.
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