Harvest

August is here. Finally. And how. I'm not sure about where you're living, but here in the San Francisco Bay Area it's been living up to John Muir's complaints until yesterday when we blew through heat records. Yesterday my car thermometer registered 107F in Mill Valley which has been fogged in and regularly in the 60s most of the summer. The happy news is that this heat wave means my tomato plants are finally producing! Well, at least the ones that the deer haven't bonsai'd. There's just nothing like a vine ripened tomato you've been fussing over all summer. Having been spoiled by my green-thumb mother who had 1/4 acre gardens during my childhood, I just can't bring myself to buy tasteless, hard, pale commercial tomatoes. They're more like packing material than food.

You know, I find myself saying things like that about so many commercial foods. Think about it, when have you ever bought produce that was actually full of flavor from the local Safeway or Albertsons or A&P? They're starting to get a clue and offering organic versions which are slightly better, but so many of the organic producers are trying to create shippable products that can be picked too early and with a density that doesn't fit all fruits and veggies. Even the produce that is supposed to be dense, like a carrot, remains tasteless when compared to one pulled from your back yard, or from a local farm stand.

Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to a trip to a farmers' market or roadside stand in the next few weeks. Even if you can't find an organic offering, get some fruits and vegetables that are ripened in the field. The taste will blow you away if you're used to everything tasting the same. You don't have to prepare them in any fancy way. Let the flavors of the produce speak for themselves. Have a little butter on your corn or green beans. Have sliced tomatoes with a little fresh basil, sea sale and olive oil. Try a green salad topped with as many different colors as you can find and then just a quick squeeze of lime, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Great food doesn't have to be complicated, it just has to start with great REAL ingredients.