Recipes for a Late Summer Garden

By Wendy Gordon

Late summer is the most satisfying time for home gardeners, co-op and farmer's market shoppers. Baskets fill with an abundance— sometimes an overabundance—of fruits and vegetables. Here are a few creative ways to make use of the overflow.

In our house, excess zucchini usually gets turned into zucchini pickles, breads, and even chocolate zucchini cake. But when the squash truly goes crazy you can snip it off at the bud—literally—and make a delicious meal out of the flowers.

Deep-Fried Zucchihi Flowers

• 18 zucchini flowers
• 1 pound whole milk mozzarella
• 18 anchovy fillets
• 1 batch beer batter (see below) or your favorite tempura batter
• Canola oil for frying

Remove the pistils inside the zucchini flowers and the small green spikes at the base. Cut off any discolored or wilted parts of the petals. Rinse the blossoms well in very cold water, checking for insects. Dry thoroughly on paper towels.

Dice the mozzarella and anchovies into small pieces. Open the petals of the flowers, and put in enough cheese and anchovy to barely fill but not overstuff.

Heat the canola oil to 375 degrees, or hot enough that a drop of water sizzles when added. Meanwhile, make the batter. Gently dip the flowers in it individually, coating them well. Fry the flowers a few at a time to a golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

Beer Batter

• 1 cup beer
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 and one half tsp sweet paprika
• Pinch of red pepper

In a medium bowl, whisk together beer, flour, salt, paprika, and red pepper. Whisk thoroughly.

Most people associate salsa with the tomato-based condiment you eat with tortilla chips. But the term "salsa" is applicable to any Latin-inspired raw fruit or vegetable mixture. This salsa makes good use of farm-fresh corn and tastes good with grilled fish or chicken or on zucchini cakes.

Carrot and Corn Salsa

• 2 cups coarsely shredded carrots
• 2 cups corn kernels (from 2 ears of corn)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 T fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 and one half tsp ground cumin
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T fresh lime juice
• 1 jalapeno chile, seeded and chopped

Combine carrots, corn, bell pepper and cilantro in a large bowl.

Sprinkle cumin in a small skillet and heat over very low heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add oil, lime juice, and jalapeno. Toss with vegetables and season with salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Blueberries taste great eaten out of hand or made into pies, pancakes, or muffins. They also taste great in preserves. This tangy version can be used as a filing for cookie bars, puff pastry or turnovers, swirled into coffee cakes or eaten on bread or scones.

Spicy Blueberry Lemon Preserves

• 2 lemons
• 4 cups blueberries, stems removed
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1 tsp butter
• 1/2 tsp ground mace
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Wash the lemons, cut into quarters, remove seeds and slice thinly.

Put the berries, lemons, sugar, and lemon juice into a bowl, stirring gently to distribute the sugar. Let the mixture sit for one or two hours to draw the juices from the berries and dissolve the sugar slightly.

Meanwhile, sterilize six half pint jars and lids for canning. Keep hot until needed.

Put the fruit mixture into a large, non aluminum pot. Add the butter and cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly until fruit is at a full rolling boil. Continue boiling until mixture starts to jell. (It will appear thick and viscous as it falls off a spoon). STIR CONSTANTLY.

Remove pot from heat, stir in the spices, and let sit for five minutes. Skim off any foam, then ladle the hot preserves into the jars, leaving one-fourth inch head space. Process in a boiling water canner for ten minutes. Turn upside down on a cloth towel and let cool overnight.