Summer Eating

It's Labor Day Weekend and there is a touch of fall in the air. Summer is coming to an end here in Northern New Mexico. It won't be long before the aspens in the Sangre de Cristos turn to gold. It's one of my favorite times of the year.

Yet we have more than another month to keep enjoying the food that has made this summer such a pleasure. In June "the peach guy" as most everyone in Santa Fe refers to him arrived bringing truckloads of wonderful fruits and vegetables from his farm in Palisade, Colorado. His stand is open every day from mid-June to mid-October with fresh produce replenishing the small stand regularly.

He and his cheerful crew are quick to help us pick out the perfect melon, tell us which tomatoes are best for gazpacho (that would be Romas) and how to hasten the ripening of those fabulous, flavorful Palisades peaches (put them in a brown paper bag). So, we go every week buying just enough of our favorites to get us to our next shopping trip, watching as the season moves one. Already the pears have arrived and soon the peaches will disappear. I have made every corn recipe I know more than once to take advantage of the sweet and juicy Olathe corn, which is unique to Colorado and only here for the summer months.

While I will be sad when "the peach guy" takes down his stand and returns home until next year, another of my favorites of this summer will be available all year long.  This summer I rediscovered how much I love focaccia. Friends served a homemade version as an appetizer that was so good, I knew I had to find a shop where non-baker me could buy some.  Luckily I discovered the Bread Shop, a local bakery, has several excellent versions and I am ready to serve them on repeat.

I will miss eating our meals in the garden and all of the fresh produce, but I am certain focaccia will pair well with my winter stews and braises. Bonne appetit!