Summer is the easiest season to eat well in Wisconsin. Farmer's markets, gardens, and CSA boxes overflow with produce that practically cooks itself. The challenge becomes keeping up with the bounty.
Roasted vegetable pasta is a weeknight workhorse. Toss any combination of summer vegetables with olive oil, salt, and garlic, roast at 425°F until tender, then fold into hot pasta with grated cheese. Done in thirty minutes.
Refrigerator pickles use up cucumbers, peppers, and onions in minutes. Slice the vegetables thin, pack into a jar, and cover with a brine of half vinegar, half water, salt, and sugar. They keep for weeks and brighten every sandwich and grain bowl.
Tomato-and-bread salad turns slightly stale bread and ripe tomatoes into one of the best meals of summer. Tear the bread, toss with olive oil and salt, toast briefly, then combine with chopped tomatoes, basil, and a splash of vinegar.
If your garden is producing more than you can eat, please share. Our pantry happily accepts fresh produce donations from home gardeners. Call ahead so we can have a cooler ready.