Who loves nothing more than walking their gardens and finding the freshest, ripest, and best looking FOOD from their Backyard? And then making dinner with it!

I am 9b Southern California!

Nothing like freshly picked veggies.

I recently got some of the tastiest cherry tomatoes I've ever grown from one of my potted tomatoes.

OrganicCavalry said:Who loves nothing more than walking their gardens and finding the freshest, ripest, and best looking FOOD from their Backyard? And then making dinner with it!

Yup, Except, I don't pick it and leave it on the counter... rather... I usually make several trips out to the garden as I'm adding each item to the pot.

They say that sweet corn sugars turn into starches minutes after picking, and I figure the same applies to the other goodies, so... a minute after being picked, the item goes into the soup... got to be healthier...

I buy my corn at a farm stand and don't know the variety. I've had it in my frig for up to 4 days and it is still delicious. I think many of the newer ones are good longer.....

There is no fresher food than from my backyard... no matter how long I store it! Which is never long.

nothing better than that

If you grow or can pick fresh corn just clean it and try it raw. It is so good when just picked.

Pasta night...
Gotta sneak in as much Z. As you can this time of year!

Very few things are aweful after breading and frying! Eggplant is one of my favorites after said treatment!

My favorite mole is guacamole.... this is my second favorite.

No better vegetables than fresh out of the garden.

Everything looks great, enjoy the fruits of your labor.Makes my mouth water for some fresh vegs,

Even better if I don't have to cook it, and just do a quick rinse under the tap, and straight to the laughing gear. We don't spray, so I can get away with that. Too stupefied with heat to cook, in summer in Australia... we just graze around the yard, pick a few lettuce and spinach leaves, some tomatoes, some garlic chives, some fruit.... When we get the cooler weather weeks hubby will cook up a storm.
Nothing beats potatoes roasted in embers about three minutes after being picked. And fresh grape leaves for dolmades...

YUM! I can remember riding out to the garden with my great-gramma on her golf cart to pick green beans & corn for dinner, and other stuff but those were my favs. And her daughter, my gramma, also had a big garden but it wasn't far enough from the house to need transportation. I still love to string and snap beans, even if they are bought.

What Bob said about fresh corn is so true! Good corn is the best standing right there next to the stalk. Boiling corn doesn't enhance the flavor, just makes it mushy and hot. Have you ever had anyone serve you corn they've boiled for 45 mins? Sadly, this has happened to me a few times over the yrs.

I also like to shave fresh corn off of the cob and sprinkle it around on a salad. The little kernels POP and the bit of sweetness really adds a great dimension to a salad.

I'm not very good @ producing something to eat but we did grow the most incredible pineapple a couple of summers ago. It was the best pineapple ever. And I do love making a delicious sauce for pork & chicken with fresh figs.

boiling corn is just mean. who wants to eat a waterlogged cob? and who would heat up the kitchen in the summer to boil corn? That makes no sense. I microwave the ears for 7 minutes and they-re perfect. and I agree fresh corn right of the cob{just picked} is the best. it's so sweet and the kernels pop in your mouth. i use them in salads too. avocados, eggplant, kale and the dreaded tofu are a big no for me. I tried several times with "this is the best guac you'll ever eat" and it was still not for me. never developed a taste for eggplant as it was never served at home. any time I did have it, it was so greasy I couldn't finish it. the tofu thing is a no brainer-my dogs wouldn't even eat it. again this is something I gave multiple attempts at eating. since I don't eat red meat or pork I was hoping to like tofu as a protein source but it didn't work out.

I do not eat the cob. Boiled corn is very good too! It is only boiled for 5 to 8 minutes. Butter salt and pepper I couldn't ask for anything better.

Agree, just long enough to warm it if you've had to store it in the 'frige. I never put butter though. That's tasty and I eat plenty of butter, but not on something that tastes great w/o it. I'll save those calories for some chocolate later.