Celebrating our Farmers this Labor Day

I'm in Columbus this weekend visiting my family! Some of my aunts & cousins, granddad and extended family are coming to my parents house and we'll be playing games and hanging outside, hopefully. It'll be a lot of fun!

My parents are nice and they've humored my desire for a mostly-local Labor Day meal. Really- I can't think of a much better way to celebrate local Farmers- some of the hardest working laborers in our country with the most important jobs; feeding our families & our country!

We're starting to gather the ingredients for the big Sunday cookout. I brought some freshly-harvested produce down from my garden to share. 

The Labor Day menu so far includes:

• Caprese Salad w/ tomatoes from my parents garden 
• My fav Potato Salad w/ pink potatoes & garlic from my garden, & onions from my CSA 
• Sweet Corn
• Mango Bean Salad w/ peppers from my CSA & garlic from my garden
• Hamburgers 
• a fruit plate, with my one prize cantaloupe :)

We're heading to the Clintonville Farmers' Market tomorrow morning and hopefully grabbing some of the 'missing pieces' - sweet corn, hamburger meat, and maybe some peaches for a special dessert. I've already got some good input from Columbus buddies on what vendors I should hit up first at the market before I go. I'm looking forward to seeing a new farmers' market here in my hometown!

Here's hoping that your Labor Day is relaxing and maybe even invigorating. If you can, find a way to appreciate and support your local farmers this labor day!

Potato Salad with Scallions and Dill

Today I'm going to share my FAVORITE potato salad recipe with you. It's simple, easy, fresh and light. It's also delicious!! I make it with whatever potatoes I have on hand- Russetts, fingerlings, Yukon Golds.. it's all good, my friends. It's modified from Ina Garten's recipe- over the years I have changed it and modified it to my liking.

Potato Salad with Scallions and Dill

Ingredients

• 6 medium potatoes (any kind will work)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons mustard
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground mustard seed (optional)
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions/green onion

Directions

• Peel the potatoes and chop into 1" sized pieces. 
• Place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons of salt in a large pot of boiling water.
• Once potatoes are added, lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife. 
• Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Allow the potatoes to steam for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk,  mustard, dill, chopped onions, 1 teaspoon of salt, and
  1 teaspoon of pepper, and coriander and mustard seed (optional). Set aside.
• When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, place the cut potatoes into the large bowl. Toss well, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Serve and Enjoy!

First Harvest

Look at what I pulled up from my garden!

onions onions onions

                                                      
                                                                 some glacier tomatoes :)

a ton of potatoes!

  When life gives you potatoes- 

you should make this fucking delicious potato salad!

 

Ina Garten's Potato Salad

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/potato-salad-recipe/index.html

(I subbed a little bit of regular mustard and some sour cream in place of the Dijon and the whole-grain mustards because my husband hates things that smell like Horseradish lol)

• 3 pounds small white potatoes
• Kosher salt
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion

Directions

Place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons of salt in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Allow the potatoes to steam for 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, dill, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Set aside.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in quarters or in half, depending on their size. Place the cut potatoes in a large bowl. While the potatoes are still warm, pour enough dressing over them to moisten. Add the celery and red onion, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Toss well, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. Serve cold or at room temperature.