Concord Grapes

So it's not a perfect specimen of a bunch of grapes. But they ARE grapes - our first "harvest".  We thought we'd better be picking them before the birds get ALL of them.  There aren't many this year, but there are still a few left on the vines to look forward to. 
 And ............ they are concord grapes!  The taste of only one brings back memories of a childhood in Rhode Island ... Newport and Portsmouth.  Why the walk down memory lane because of a concord grape?  Because, when I was a kid living in Rhode Island, I used to help my brothers with their paper route.  To help my brothers with their paper route meant I rode my bike up and down some little country roads - and along quite a few of those country roads were stone fences - and on those stone fences I would often find grapes growing.  CONCORD grapes!  Yum!  My absolute favorite grapes. When I was told those "things" on the fences were edible grapes, and first tasted them, I was hooked for life.  In grape season my brothers probably wondered why I was so slow; though, they, too, loved the concords and were most likely indulging themselves.

When we lived in France I became pretty well acquainted with muscat grapes and those big, sweet Italian grapes.  They were delicious.  But the concords still remained my "preferred" grape. 

After returning to the states I was always on the look-out for concord grapes.  They were rarely found here in the Midwest.  But when I DID find some I snatched them up, knowing it would be a long time before I found them again.

Now, I admit that our humble concord grape specimen shown here does not measure up to the stately, beautiful ones I remember, and find from time to time (maybe because this is only the second year of our vine???).  But, I have to tell you that as soon as I popped one of the ripe ones into my mouth and bit into it ... I was instantly transported back to those bike rides on the Rhode Island country roads!  Heavenly taste; only way to describe it.  :)  LOVE  'em!  Absolutely LOVE them.

Oh, and listen up:  the ONLY way to eat a concord grape is to pop it into your mouth, bite into it and enjoy that instant glorious squirt of concord grape flavor - and then swallow the WHOLE thing (don't you dare spit out that skin - it's yummy)!  Oooooooooh ... I sure hope the birds plan to leave us a few more .....

If the Squash Bugs Missed Them ...

We haven't had much luck with our garden squash this year.  The squash bugs didn't spare us.  Come to think of it, they didn't last year either. :(  Some of our friends have had the same problem - but there are SOME friends who have had success.  And, thanks to their generosity, we have been "kept in squash" this summer.  Yellow squash.  I like other kinds, too.  But YELLOW squash is my favorite.

I have tried various recipes for the squash, but have to say that my absolute favorite way to eat yellow squash is probably the simplest way of preparing it.  We enjoyed it again for supper this evening: slice small yellow squash into a skillet with a little olive oil (I also love using bacon drippings), some chopped fresh garlic, chopped onion, salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste.  Stir-fry for three to five minutes and, presto!, it is ready to eat.  Enjoy!

Of course, there are any number of ways to "ad lib" this recipe.  Sometimes I throw in some fresh, chopped basil - or sage - or thyme ... or all three!  It's great with some good  crispy country bacon chopped into it. And, if the bacon idea grabs you, you'll probably also love some slices of good ham ( I LOVE country-smoked ham) to go along with the squash.  Then, there's always any kind of cheese to sprinkle in ... maybe a little cream ... etc.  Use your imagination.  Don't be afraid to experiment.  For me, part of the fun of cooking, is the "creativity" of it ... sometimes I follow a recipe completely; but LOTS of times (maybe most) I'm not afraid to stray off on my own.  A little of this; a little of that.  Have to say that there have been few times that something's turned out really bad (but don't ask my husband about the sweet-and-sour rabbit when we were young marrieds and only had a can of pineapple and a jar of home-canned rabbit from a friend in the cupboard.............).

Eat REAL food - including squash-bugless yellow squash - and  enjoy REAL taste.  :)

Homemade Soup!

Soup!  How can you go wrong with a wonderful homemade soup?  From the least bit of ingredients can come some of the most delicious soups.  MUCH tastier, not to mention healthier, than the canned or boxed varieties in the grocery store.  It can be a "fast food" soup, thrown together and simmered in only a few mintues ... or, the long-simmered kind, with the great aroma drifting throughout the house all afternoon.  Mmmmmmmmm.........

The soup in the photo here was our supper tonight.  We'd had a church picnic, after services today.  One thing I took was a roasted chicken, the meat cut off of the bones.  When we returned in the afternoon I put the chicken carcass that I'd saved in the fridge into a pan of water, letting it simmer a couple of hours, while doing other things.  The freshly-making chicken broth smelled great.  Finally, I lifted out the bones to cool enough to pull the bits and pieces of meat off ... added the meat to the broth ... salt and pepper to taste ... a tomato from the garden, peeled and chopped ... a couple of okra pods straight from the garden, sliced in thin pieces ... a bit of garlic ... a little white wine ... a handful of chopped basil from the garden ... let it simmer a little longer - then, just before serving, added a bit of REAL cream.  Yum!  My husband and I both enjoyed a bowl-full.  So good.

Great-tasting homemade food can take time - or not.  Like soup.  Give it a long, slow simmer over the afternoon, or overnight in the slow cooker ... or, use ingredients that can be cooked quickly and enjoyed in just a few minutes.  Believe  me, it's worth the effort.  :)