Creamers

My photo doesn't do justice to these creamers; you'll have to trust the fact they are truly one of the finest southern summer meals you'll eat. At the farmer's market the farmer's refer to them simply as creamers. These peas are also referred to as zipper peas or lady cream peas. Similar to black eyed peas these peas do not have the black eye and have a creamier consistency hence their name.

4 cups of creamer peas
1/2 pound of bacon, chopped in one inch pieces
1/2 yellow onion chopped fine
3 garlic cloves mashed and chopped fine
2 cups of water
1 tomato chopped fine
1 teaspoon of dried or fresh oregano
1 teaspoon of dried cumin
several dashes of paprika
dash or two of dried chipotle pepper

Saute the bacon pieces till cooked through but not hard. Drain off excess fat reserving enough to then saute onion and garlic. Add  remaining ingredients and simmer till peas are soft and flavors are melded. I decided to serve them over rice to soak up the juices. Oh the larger green beans you see are a few Cherokee black beans which reseeded themselves from last year. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Salmon Salad without Mayonnaise

2 cans canned salmon, drained well
1 red bell pepper chopped fine
1 small bottle of capers, drained and patted dry
1 small shallot chopped fine
2 teaspoons of dried dill
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped fine

2 tablespoons of honey
1 teaspoon of very hot water
2 tablespoon of cider vinegar
2 teaspoon of soy
1 tablespoon of sherry or marsala wine

Put canned salmon in bowl and break apart gently with fork. Add remaining five ingredients and toss gently. Right before serving prepare dressing of last five ingredients. First whisk honey with hot water then add remaining 3 ingredients and whisk well drizzle over salad and toss gently. To the salad I had added dry mustard but next time I think I'll use dijon mustard in the dressing instead.

We had this salad at the farmer's market; I put the salad containers on a bed of ice in a pot so they stay cold. I made the first part of the salad the night before and made the dressing the next morning and added it to the salad then. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Baby Peas are like Candy

 baby peas are just like candy

we're eating them fresh picked and raw

we skipped one day picking

 and some pods have formed peas

yummy
tomorrow I'll be at the farmer's market
today I am going to a garage sale
thanks for reading
and for all your comments.

Midsummer Garden

 my midsummer garden is a sea of color

 I don't spend near enough time
enjoying this raucous color display

 the older I get
the less I tolerate the temperature extremes

how do these beauties survive the recent heat wave

 thoughts of painting flowers have been tickling my brain

I have the supplies, what's stopping me:

sometimes I think too much,
and I don't put thoughts into action.
Thanks for reading and
for all your comments.