My father and I were planning a trip to a friend’s farm. The service was to be held an hour from my house, so he would stop by here, pick me up, and we would stop to eat on the way. We’d pick a good restaurant nearby so we wouldn’t arrive distracted with hunger. I love to eat out. Who doesn’t? But really, eating from my own garden is easier, better, and cheaper. It’s probably faster, too. Does the restaurant use the same Greek extra virgin olive oil I use? Are the tomatoes and peppers picked fresh from the vine and cut up moments later? I guarantee purple podded beans will not be on the menu.

I decided instead to prepare something here as a surprise. It wasn’t going to be an elaborate meal to impress guests. Rather, I wanted it to be simple. Some peasant food I could gather from the garden.

Garden Eating

So in some kind of weird self imposed contest—Iron Chef meets my frugal grandmother living on the farm—I challenged myself to serve lunch here with only ingredients on hand. Impromptu, no running out to Kroger allowed. I had to use whatever I had in my sparse cupboards and garden, today, this minute. The garden would dictate this lunch where guests would be sitting at my table in less than two hours.

I did have a blueberry pie and numerous blackberry tarts in the refrigerator. I had already been on a Julie-Julia baking frenzy even before I saw the movie to perfect my pie crust recipe. The blackberry tarts would be allowed in this cooking competition because the berries had been picked just days earlier from blackberry plants that line our property.

Based on a walk out to the garden, I decided to make Tabbouleh, green beans with lime, and whole wheat pizza with basil, tomatoes, garlic, and cheese. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any bulgur wheat on hand for the Tabbouleh. I did have some pearled barley which I substituted for the wheat. I cooked it up then chilled it along with fresh chopped onions, peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, flat leafed parsley, and celery leaves tossed with lime juice and olive oil.

It was important for me to gather from the garden, knead some dough, chop vegetables, and then sit down at my table to eat great stuff from the garden. I wanted to savor the beauty of the simple vegetables and gather strength from them. We needed a few moments of quiet reflection before going on our way to the memorial service of a young friend.