Well, June started somewhat cool and wet, and some of our gardeners found out the hard way that they’d planted their veggies in the wrong place and stayed so wet that they started to get root rot. However, it has now turned very hot and dry, with heat indexes over 100 forecast for the next week and no rain for the foreseeable future. That has a lot of gardeners who have to depend on Mother Nature for watering their plants to get a little concerned even if they have rain barrels to catch and save rainwater. People who are on well water tend to hesitate using it during a dry spell in case the dry spell is prolonged as they could run out of water.

So far though gardens are doing well. Peas have been abundant and tasty- one of my gardeners shared a peck of peas with me. Now, tomatoes are starting to come in, and some tomatoes are even ready to use in fried green tomatoes. Almost nothing beats a good green tomato dipped in buttermilk and then a mixture of flour and cornmeal and fried to a crispy, golden perfection. Here’s my recipe:

1 c self-rising flour

2 c cornmeal

1 c buttermilk

2 eggs

4 good-sized green tomatoes, sliced ¼” thick

Olive oil for frying

Ranch dressing for dipping

 

Mix the flour and cornmeal. Mix the eggs and buttermilk. Dip the tomato slices into the buttermilk mixture, then dredge in the cornmeal and flour mixture. Heat about a ½” of oil in a cast iron skillet til hot ((350*). Fry the tomatoes until golden brown on the first side (about 1-1/2 minutes), then flip and repeat until all the slices are cooked. Lay  on a pan with paper towels to catch the excess grease before transferring it to a serving platter.

So, as summer gets going, slow down, make yourself some fried green tomatoes, and enjoy the taste of summer.