Although my greenhouse is currently a monoculture of tomatoes – a good year for them, by any standards, all of this heat has been incredible for them if made them almost impossibly thirsty – it is empty of all of the plants that filled it earlier in the year. They of course now fill the veg bed, but this is the whole point of the greenhouse. It was a nursery for those plants that needed protection over winter and earlier in the year, those that needed fussing over in their 3-in pots and seed trays, mister in hand, an eye on the weather, but then they were booted out to do their thing as soon as the weather warmed.
Well they are truly doing their thing now. It is sometimes easy to forget that the point of all of this growing is the eating, but this is eating time. At this time of year with the garden trug overflowing I find I am rarely looking at recipes. The glut does not really allow for it, we need to be working with what we’ve got, in whatever quantities they come in. We need ideas that are going to churn through our gluts while also helping us make the most of their delicious freshness.
The courgettes have gone into their typical August behaviour, which is to produce a vast rosette of chunky leaves that each courgette can hide under until it has the heft of a rolling pin. The flowers are also coming thick and fast. I pick the males, the ones on the long thin stems, and they are a true seasonal treat. Stuffed with ricotta, lemon zest and whatever soft herb is bolting, then dipped into a thin batter and into hot oil they are one of the best things I eat from the garden all year. If that is too much fuss in these lazy August days they are also delicious just fried in butter until crisp and topped with a squeeze of lemon and some sea salt flakes, or even just torn over a salad.
And with the glut of courgettes? A few ideas: courgettes grated and squeezed hard in a tea towel and folded into fritters with feta and dill – this just needs a spoonful or two of flour and an egg to hold it together before frying; raw, shaved into ribbons with lemon and olive oil and something salty; a savoury loaf cake, again with nubs of feta, if the harvest has properly beaten you.
The peas and beans are ahead of themselves this year, as everything is. I love broad beans podded and crushed with mint on toast, or the small ones eaten raw and double podded, the prize in the salad. I love runner beans sliced thin and dressed while still warm, or even eaten raw and dipped in a herby or garlicky mayo.
There are of course a few dishes that work as catch-alls, and you can chuck everything you have harvested from the garden into them. Risotto is a great dish for this, a beautiful fresh green one of peas, beans, courgette chunks and herbs. Use your pea pods to make up the stock for it and if you are feeling fancy top it all with fresh pea shoots and a shaving of parmesan. Garden quiche is another, a great way of making your garden produce dinner party- or just garden table- ready. And finally the dish of the moment is surely ratatouille, as the greenhouse produce comes into its own too. Don’t be shy about throwing in a few peas and beans too. It is all fresh and as seasonal as food ever gets to be, and it will all be delicious.