The grape harvest is near. In Italy, some folks grab handfuls of red grapes to top a celebratory flat bread called “Spianata for the “Madonna of the August Harvest”. Sprinkled with sugar, the grapes burst in the oven, creating a sweet syrup. Delicious bread for August 15, the Feast of Mary’s Assumption into heaven!

Many gardeners plant zucchini, but somehow they don’t remember in May exactly how many zucchini will appear in July. This Summer Zucchini Pasta Recipe is retaliation. It's cooked in one pot, with mostly raw ingredients, and is perfect on a hot summer night. This post also includes a summer prayer to be receptive to the life force of God in us and in all.

Mexican foods are popular and it's tomatillo time in the garden. Enjoy “Quick Roasted Tomatillo Salsita” aka salsa verde.  The recipe comes from Pati Jinich, a chef and a Border Ambassador, says the Council of the Americas. Her PBS series “La Frontera” which means “the border”, explores the food, culture and challenges on and south of the U.S. / Mexico border.

Garlic season has more than a culinary value in our family. Planting it in early October with my grandfather’s instructions is a fall ritual. Roasted Garlic White Chicken Pizza is one of the first recipes we enjoy after the harvest. The mild, creamy roasted garlic sauce makes it!  Get the recipe and tips for to plant, cook and preserve garlic.

Dill weed is great in potato salad, macaroni salad, fish and seafood like shrimp! Dill weed and lemon are great on fresh salmon or trout just out of the oven or frying pan.  In a recipe for “Sauteed Shrimp Cakes”, Chef Joe Randall pays homage to African American food and makes use of fresh dill and easy Herb Mustard sauce that will melt in your mouth!

Seasonal transitions take time. And so seasonal eaters observe and learn what is in season...and wait.  These days, we wait until local green beans are ripe and just tender to make Three Bean Salad. When beans and other favorite seasonal foods arrive, we taste, enjoy and offer mindful gratitude.  Praise to you, for Sister Earth!

A family recipe for her Mom’s Spinach Salad in the spring American Farmland Trust newsletter features spring greens we'll see soon in gardens and Farmer's Markets.   It was contributed in honor of her Mom by Stephanie Castle who manages AFT’s New York Women for the land program.   American Farmland Trust is one of the first U.S. organizations to collaborate with experts in many "fields" to address both the needs of farmers and the environment.

This week we feature a “recipe” for simple container gardening. Planting seeds even on a small scale contributes to a Sustainable Food System. In fact, Seeds of Hope is the theme of this year’s Laudato Si Week (May 19-26)!  We can find hope in a few “seeds” of the wisdom of mystic Hildegard of Bingen.

Pay attention to spring blades of tender green “rising”; signs of resurrection.  My great-grandma picked tender dandelion greens for salad or fried them as her “spring tonic”.  Since childhood in the "old country", she had foraged for seasonal eats.  Spring greens from the wild, your garden, a Farmer’s Market or Co-op will add to this recipe for Spring Layered Salad.  According to Civil Eats, home cooking is a cornerstone of a sustainable food system!

Asparagus is a perennial vegetable that rises from underground in the Upper Midwest from May through June.  Enjoy it in Asparagus and Honey Lemon Chicken.  In this Resurrection season, reflect with me on ways to act and advocate, bringing transformation to our world, including our food system, feeding and healing people, plants, animals and the planet.  
 

During Easter Week or the 50-day Easter season, slow down to let the Holy One feed your deepest hungers. Even make bread with this recipe for Basic Whole Wheat Bread. Consider how you give bread - material and spiritual - to the hungry. Live the Eucharist and pray "Holy God, give bread to the hungry and hunger for You to those who have bread."

Rather than a recipe, this post poses a Food Pantry Challenge! If you needed food assistance, what groceries would you put in your monthly food pantry package? From the list of options provided, tally up how many meals you would eat from those items. Learn more about WAFER Food Pantry in La Crosse and how to address food insecurity where you live.