Gardening and Grandsons

My garden has been producing summer squash from those too many plants I put in. I took a couple of the round ones, along with a couple zucchini-type ones, and arranged them to form the eyes, nose, and mouth of a face. I shared the photo on Facebook, joking about "playing with my food." My youngest sister then posted a photo of a "veggie face" composed of peppers, tomatoes, and a blackberry, saying she saw my face and raised the bet. Shortly after that, my next younger sister also posted her "veggie face ," commenting that she didn't think I could "beet" it. "Lettuce" begin the contest, if you "carrot" all.

Our middle daughter and her two sons are here from Florida for a week's visit in Montana. I swear the older grandson lives on air, showing little interest in eating, although he does really like cheese pizza. The other grandson loves his vegetables. Walking through the garden their first evening here, I discovered a large, ripe tomato, which came as a surprise. I usually don't find ripened large tomatoes until early August, although the cherry ones ripen sooner. Cam devoured that tomato in short order. When he found out I also grew carrots, he had to have one right then. Of course the ripening raspberries are a hit with both boys. Now, if only I could get them to pick all the berries into containers, instead of only grabbing the easy-to-reach ones on the edges of the rows and eating them immediately, I'd be in business. I'm afraid several berries are going to go to waste this week as I won't have time to pick them all myself.

I'll be taking a taco salad to the fields today, so these "city boys" will get a taste of how farmers operate. They'll both get trips in the tractor with their grandfather as he's harrowing a couple of fields. They loved seeing all the "big toys" we have up here. They're looking forward to riding along and seeing the machines in action. They'll also see that food doesn't just come from a store, as the tacos will use lots from my garden.

Last week, I made the following salad. I did have to purchase the pepper as mine won't be that ripe for some time yet. I used my own red onions, garlic, mint leaves and romaine lettuce. If I'd known that lone tomato was so close to being ready I wouldn't have had to use the cherry tomatoes I subbed in.

Greek Couscous with Olives

1 1/2 C water

1 C couscous

1 medium red OR yellow pepper, chopped

1/2 C red onion, chopped

1 C California ripe olives

1 (6 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

3 oz feta cheese, crumbled

1/3 C mint leaves, shredded

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 C lemon juice

1/2 C olive oil

8 leaves romaine lettuce

1 medium tomato, in wedges

3 Tbl pine nuts, toasted

Bring water to a boil. Stir in couscous, cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Add the pepper, onion, olives, artichokes, and cheese, and mix. For the dressing, combine in a glass jar with a lid, the mint, garlic, pepper, juice, and oil. Put lid on jar and shake well to combine. Pour over the couscous mix and toss to combine. Refrigerate until well chilled. To serve, line a bowl with the romaine, top with the couscous. Garnish with tomato and sprinkle with the pine nuts. Serves 10.

I used cherry tomatoes and put them in the salad with the other ingredients. I used Kalamata olives, but you could use whatever olives you like. I'm going to add more black pepper and more mint leaves next time. You could also substitute sunflower seeds or pepitas for the pine nuts. Since I wasn't serving ten at once, I also just tore up a few leaves of lettuce to put under each serving as I ate it. I shared half this salad with my daughter who lives in town.

Couscous is a type of North African semolina in granules made from crushed Durum wheat, so it isn't a choice for those on gluten-free diets. Another source says while many think it's a grain, it's really a "pasta made from semolina flour mixed with water." It contains lots of fiber per serving, as well as protein. If you can't have gluten, you could use brown rice instead of couscous. It should be in the store near the pastas and/or rice.

I hope you'll give it a try.