The garden is looking good – lots of san marzanos and yellow pear tomatoes, little sprouts are sprouting on the Brussels sprout stalks(!!), and all of the cool different color sunflowers are opening up. I’ve started pruning some of the lowest leaves off of the sprout stalks, cutting as close to the stem as possible. I’ll continue this as the sprouts keep developing to encourage growth, and I expect to harvest in early autumn.
Also the mint is flowering which I’d never seen before (we usually pull all the mint out earlier than this). It is definitely trying to take over the garden but we have a strong border of other herbs keeping it in check. We inherited this mint infestation, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it.
I decided to try to make a super simple, streamlined garlicky zucchini & tomato gazpacho with my little collection of tomatoes. It came out really nice, and it only took about 7 minutes! I didn’t use any onion or pepper because I wanted it to come out extra smooth, and so I also went heavy on the olive oil. The result was fluffy, frothy, spicy, and smooth. It was a sweet pinkish orange in color flecked with black pepper. You could probably strain this gazpacho to further improve the texture but I thought it was great as is!
I garnished it with an extra piece of parsley to make it extra fancy and enjoyed a glass with some toasted tortillas on a hot evening. I did add a little extra ghost pepper vinegar to make it spicier after blending but that’s a personal preference.
Garlicky Gazpacho
Ingredients
- 2 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes
- 2/3 cup peeled & chopped zucchini
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large garlic clove chopped fine
- Apple cider vinegar to taste
(I used about 2 tsp of my ghost pepper apple cider vinegar) - Fresh parsley and basil to taste
(I used a loosely packed tbsp of parsley leaves and threw in just a few large basil leaves) - Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy as is or chill and serve.
I think it would be good with toasted fresh bread, grilled cheese, or blended with vodka.
On a separate note, we went to a concert at the Chautauqua auditorium this past weekend! We had a picnic on the grounds and enjoyed the beautiful weather and views. Colorado is stunning this time of year.
Colorado Garden Eating 