By Michelle Beck

We have been enjoying tomatoes from the garden every day, but the recent hot weather has really slowed production of new tomatoes. Tomatoes don’t like it when the temperature reaches 100 degrees. Louise, the wonderful tomato plant lady at the Bakersfield Farmers’ Market, gave me some great advice for those 100+ days. She suggested running a soaker hose around my tomato plants and turning it on a very slow drip during the afternoons when the temperature goes above 100. I have done this for years, and it does seem like my tomato plants are happier.

Figs

A great summertime fruit is the fig. Fig trees grow extremely well here, but figs are very soft and perishable, so it is rare to see them in a supermarket. I see them occasionally at the Farmers’ Market and Trader Joe’s, but it is really best to befriend someone with a tree. The trees are easy to spot, as they grow very large very quickly. The biggest trick with fig trees is just trying to keep them under control. Figs are generally brown or green, with a pink interior. If figs are white on the inside with a firm texture, they are not ripe. The most common fig varieties found in Bakersfield are Mission, Calimyrna, Brown Turkey and White Adriatic. Figs can be eaten whole, although I usually peel them, at least a little. If you have never tried a fig, the insides look a little weird, but they are tasty and sweet.

In the past, I have gone to considerable lengths to procure my fig supply. When I was in college, my sweet, innocent-looking grandmother and her equally sweet-looking neighbor conspired to send me many feet up the neighbor’s fig tree to pick figs for the two of them. They lured me over by promising me I could take as many as I wanted. Did I mention that fig trees are really, really big? And itchy? And always dusty? Somehow, I managed to not fall off a very tall ladder and brought down enough figs for the three of us.

That neighbor and her tree are no longer around, so I have to continue my search for kind friends (no, I don’t just like you for your tree … entirely) and errant fig branches hanging over walls. When someone does offer me figs, I always have to make sure to get enough for my dad and both of my grandmothers, as they love figs as much as I do.

If you have a surplus of figs and have already gorged yourself until your tongue feels raw, figs are good in a variety of recipes. Fig jam is good – sometimes. The first time I had it, I bought a jar from Moessner Farms at the Farmer’s Market and loved it. Mrs. Moessner knows what she is doing with fig jam. Since then, I have bought many jars of fig jam from a variety of other sources and most were terrible. As a result, I can’t really recommend a recipe for it. Try one of these other recipes instead.

How about a cool fresh fig and feta salad with toasted walnuts for dinner? If you are in the mood for pizza, try this pizza with figs, prosciutto and gorgonzola. Figs go well with brie in this appetizer recipe, and fresh fig cake would be nice in the afternoon with some iced coffee. If you still find yourself with an overabundance of figs, and you have not invited me over to relieve you of some of them, the people at the California Fig Advisory Board have enough fig recipes here to keep you busy for the foreseeable future. My friend Cindy Galland makes wonderful fig balsamic vinegar. It’s such a shame I’ve run out ….

Peppers

Peppers are a prolific summertime vegetable. The varieties are endless from small to large and from sweet to hot. Peppers are great tossed with olive oil and seasonings then tossed on the barbecue or roasted, if you don’t mind heating up your oven. They can be thinly sliced on salads, or stuffed. This Greek stuffed pepper recipe is a good vegetarian choice, and could easily be made vegan. I like stuffed peppers like these, but I usually substitute colored peppers, as I am not a fan of green bell peppers.

If you find yourself with an overabundance of jalapeño peppers, a simple way to use them is by making a jar or two of pickled jalapenos. The jars store well in the refrigerator, and are good with a variety of dishes.

Eggplant

Eggplant is another fun vegetable to grow. Most people are familiar with the large, purple Black Beauty variety, or perhaps the thin Japanese variety, but eggplants come in purple, white and every shade in between. This year, I am growing Fairytale eggplant, which are egg-sized, with purple and white stripes.

Eggplant is very good tossed with olive oil and seasonings and thrown on the barbecue or roasted. This eggplant salad with chickpeas and feta would be a nice summer lunch, or you could try this variation on eggplant parmesan.

Your intrepid Bakersfield Express editor apparently made some wonderful baba ganoush with some of her backyard eggplant. I can’t vouch for it, as she cruelly did not bring me some (or all) of it, but perhaps she’ll share her recipe in the comments.

Environmentally friendly disposable plates

Have you been attending picnics along the river and feeling guilty about the trash generated by disposable dinnerware? Many companies now make eco-friendly disposable dinnerware, such as VerTerra and Bare by Solo.  Companies such as Greenware make disposable flatware from renewable resources, such as bamboo.

GF Bisquick and licorice

Great news on the gluten-free front! According to the Betty Crocker people, gluten-free Bisquick will be available nation-wide by the end of the month. I have already put in a request for my Vons to carry it, and I would encourage you to do the same at your supermarket of choice. Recipes using the GF Bisquick (it can’t just be substituted in regular Bisquick recipes) can already be found at www.BettyCrocker.com.

Licorice is one of the items I have missed most since being diagnosed with gluten intolerance. I was unpleasantly surprised to discover that wheat is a main ingredient in most licorice. However, I was delighted to recently find a good gluten-free licorice at Cost Plus World Market. It is made by Black Ace, and it comes in both red and black.

Coastal Treats

If you are planning a trip west, travelers to the Central Coast have many options for local, sustainably-grown food in almost every town in the area.

Paso Robles

Farmstand 46 is a wonderful small restaurant on Highway 46, west of Highway 101 on the way to Cambria. They were very nice about putting their sandwich ingredients on lettuce for me, and the food was great.

If you are wine tasting at Lone Madrone and Kenneth Volk, be sure to check out Fat Cat Farm, which is on the premises. It has a nice variety of interesting herbs and other perennial plants. I had to restrain myself from buying many, many plants when I was there last month.

Paso Robles has opportunities for olive oil tasting at Pasolivo and We Olive.

Villa Creek and Thomas Hill Organics are both restaurants that utilize fresh, local, seasonal food. Windrose Farm sells heirloom tomatoes, vegetable plants and herbs.

Templeton

Happy Acres Family Farm at 1955 Templeton Road offers goat cheese, goat milk, organic produce and eggs.

Nature’s Touch at 225 S. Main in Templeton is a small grocery offering local, organic produce, dairy and meat. Outside the store is a plant nursery with native, antique flowers, organic vegetables and herb plants.

Joebella Coffee roasts their own organic fair trade coffee.

San Luis Obispo

In addition to my favorite Big Sky Cafe, which I have mentioned before, try Sweet Earth Chocolates at 1445 Monterey. It is difficult to choose among all of the delicious fair trade, organic chocolate confections. Sweet Earth also carries chocolate bars made by Cal Poly students.

Sally Loo’s Cafe offers fresh, local, organic baked goods, soup, salads, sandwiches, and coffee. Chow Asian Food also utilizes fresh, local produce.

Arroyo Grande

Grande Foods Market sells local, pesticide free, organic, raw dairy and raw honey. They also have a selection of gluten-free foods.