Nathan and the boys have been digging up potatoes on and off for the last couple of weeks. Unearthing these gems is one of the greatest rewards of everyone’s summer labor. This year we planted red potatoes and Yukons. There’s tremendous expectation on digging day – much like digging for gold! The potato plant will grow and flower and die back completely before we dig for the tubers. By leaving the potatoes in the ground weeks after the potato plants have died helps to thicken the tubers’ skin which aids in longer shelf life. After they are harvested, we gently brush excess dirt with our hands, and we let them rest in the basement in a single-layer on newspaper for at least a handful of days. This curing process prepares the potatoes for winter storage. Now they are in the basement (needs to be a cool and dark spot) in a cardboard box. If you’ve never tasted homegrown potatoes, you’re missing out on a flavorful, buttery and smooth spud!

Since fresh oversized summer salads don’t appeal to me lately, I tried to make a simple,”fallish” use of the rest of the veggies. Peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes are still coming in from the garden. A couple of the kids have been helping to chop them up, and then we cooked them in the crock pot all night on high. The next day, we strain them to get rid of the peels and seeds. I filled the pot with what looks like thick juice and added olive oil, garlic salt, and a bay leaf. Cooked it on the stove top until reduced by about half, and voila`! We enjoyed it on pizza last week and on chicken parmesan this week! As you can see, it’s a super versatile veggie compote.

We recently bought these bowls from Ikea, and we couldn’t be happier that we did. They’re the perfect size and weight for the kids. We use them for oatmeal in the morning, with yogurt at lunch, and fill them with beef stew at dinner. They are a soft white and simply classic. They also have a reduced price on them now too!

with love, Damaris