::when I was young::

This weekend I became suddenly so nostalgic for this time of year, summer quickly transitioning into autumn when I was a child. I grew up on 3 acres in Blaine, Washington, 10 minutes from the Canadian border, where we had a small fruit orchard and 2 large vegetable gardens. The work of all this and it's edible rewards were a huge part of my life growing up. As an adult now living in a hustle bustle big city I'm so grateful for having such an intimate knowledge of natural world ingrained in me when I was so young.
Walking through browsing, smelling, and buying at the Ballard Sunday Market yesterday brought so many reminders of my mom and grandpa who taught me so much about growing and the seasons in the Pacific Northwest. The sites and smells that totally take me back:
-the smell of fresh dill
-the crunch an Asian Pear
-Lemom Cucumbers
-copious amounts of Zucchinis in late August
-Prunes, or what I've come to know as Prunes, I've argued with many people that these are not Plums (pictured below)
-the smell of Cilantro on my mom when she'd come in from weeding the garden, that I used to find repulsive but now it makes me think of her
-fat purple and white speckled Scarlet Runner or "Tarheel" Beans that my cousin Molly and I would shell and carry in baskets as our pioneer currency playing make believe in the woods.



Sauteed Summer Veggies (inspired by an appetizer at Senor Moose in Ballard):

-one small clove of finely chopped garlic tossed into 3 tbs. of browned butter
-one handful of quickly blanched green beans
-one small zucchini
-one small ear of sweet corn
-1/2 of large Pablano Pepper thinly sliced
-small handful of chopped cherry tomatoes
Saute for about 3 minutes with a smattering of cayenne pepper and a large sprinkle of red hawaiian sea salt and top with a small amount of sharp cheddar cheese.