Farmhouse Kitchen, June 2023
Without a doubt, summer is the uncontested most delicious season to live in the South. When I was a kid, you’d often find me venturing out to the garden to eat my favorite veggies straight from the vine. I admit, I’ve never outgrown that habit. If you haven’t eaten a tomato straight off the vine — so ripe that the juice pours down your arms — you simply must remedy that this year!
In case you haven’t caught on, this month’s focus is the sensational spoils of a Southern summer garden. My own garden isn’t large, but I do plant one each year outside our test kitchen. I take advantage of our local farmers markets to fill in the gaps. Not only is this a great way to buy local and get the most flavorful produce, it’s also a way to build relationships with the local farmers in your community and help support them.
First in our lineup is a recipe from the Neighbors archives, Vidalia Onion Pie by Shirley Weeks of Lamar County. This recipe from Shirley, a longtime leader of Alabama Farmers Federation Women’s Leadership Committee activities, was first shared in the April 2003 issue.
While Vidalia onions are grown by our neighbors to the east, every Southerner knows just how exceptional they are! This is typically served as a side dish to a decadent Southern meal but is also great on its own with a glass of iced tea, served porch side.
My Summer Succotash is also a side dish — technically. But I don’t know anyone in their right mind who hasn’t made it a meal on more than one occasion. There is hardly a better way to showcase fresh, crisp, beautiful vegetables than a vibrant succotash. My recipe is loaded with onions, peppers, lima beans, okra, corn, tomatoes and bacon. It’s cooked up in a sauce of chicken broth, garlic and a hint of apple cider vinegar for tang. If your taste buds are like mine, one look at that photo will have you trying the recipe soon.
Sweetening things up is Easy Strawberry Freezer Jam. While I’m always a fan of canned jam, the magic of making freezer jam is it allows you to have that fresh-picked strawberry taste any time of year in a way traditional canned jam never could. I encourage you to make a little space in your freezer and whip up a batch for use on biscuits, sandwiches and so much more. You won’t need that freezer space for long.
I hope you’re enjoying the long summer days as much as my family has been. I’m so grateful we can carve out time to spend together in the pages of Neighbors. Until next time, enjoy life’s bountiful blessings, y’all!