I have to be honest…figs never meant much to me. When a friend recently invited me to swing by and pick some ripe figs, I couldn't pass up the offer for free fruit (even though it was for figs). I talked a few friends into joining me for the fig picking and we met at the fig tree. After we loaded up on the ripe fruit and other assorted veggies from the garden, we went our separate ways. Once home, I surveyed my freshly picked figs and decided I'd better do a little research on them.

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Tags: figs, rosemary and port fig jam

Years ago, a friend gave me some mint that I planted in my front yard by a water faucet. After a season or two and the mint taking over that area, I decided to take it out of the ground and plant something else there. I was successful in removing all traces of the mint from the front yard, but apparently some roots inadvertently got mixed in with dirt in my backyard and now it's gone crazy back there. When you read about mint being invasive, boy, they're not kidding! 

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Tags: In Season, mint

A friend gave me some fresh organic blueberries today. The plump berries looked so good that the first thing I did when I got home was take a picture of them. Then, as I was looking for blueberry recipes, I came across an article by Fine Cooking Magazine with some tips on choosing, prepping and storing blueberries. And did you know that July is National Blueberry Month? Yes, it's true! Now back to figuring out what to make with these delicious berries… 

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Tags: blueberries, In Season, Summer

This is a great salad…delicious, beautiful, and perfect for summer! I used leftover regrigerated cooked rice (about 3 cups), substituted 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano for the 1 teaspoon of fresh, used both red onion and green onion, added a splash of red wine vinegar and some sliced sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil.  I used jasmine rice but basmati rice would also be really good. Be sure to scoop the seeds out of the cuke or you'll end up with a watery salad. Also, go easy on the salt because both the feta cheese and kalamata olives are salty; mix it all together than season to taste. For a mexi version, add corn, black beans, sliced pimento-stuffed green olives, a little cumin and cilantro; omit the cuke, spinach, kalamata olives and feta. Enjoy!

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Tags: cucumber, kalamata olives, Mediterranean, red pepper, rice, rice salad, Side Dish

These moist and tender muffins are a great way to show off a seasonal Springtime ingredient: rhubarb. The muffins are slightly tart and slightly sweet with a delicious cinnamon-sugar topping.  I like them best the day they're made when the muffin tops are still a little crunchy.

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Tags: cinnamon, Muffins, rhubarb, springtime

I decided to stop at the farm stand today on my way back home from the gym. I love living in a suburban area that has access to multiple farm stands and farmer's markets. As you can see from the photo, I picked up a bounty of fruits and veggies. Corn, pickling cukes, lemon cukes, heirloom tomatoes, green beans, Italian plums, peaches, yellow squash, zucchini and Gala apples. All that for just $16. I love supporting my local farmers. I swing by this particular stand once or twice a week during the summer. It has the best tomatoes. I'm talking about REAL tomatoes– sweet and juicy. Not the sad, orangish-looking orbs labeled as tomatoes in most grocery stores.

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Tags: farm stand, fresh veggies