Wanting What I Can't Have

I miss snow. And sweaters, and scarves and snowboarding. I miss trekking through a foot of snow to EVERYWHERE because I don't have a car. I miss watching people fall; That two second scramble when someone is fighting gravity's inescapable pull over ice is just fabulous. I can't help but LOL every time. Sorry people, I'm not laughing at you, but with you, and I know somewhere deep down inside, you're chuckling too. For heaven's sake, this is why I moved to Colorado: to live among falling ice crystals. Have you noticed I want what I can't have? Here we are, deep in the midst of summer, and I'm longing for a blizzard.

But sure enough, six months ago you could find me laying on campus post-fall, screaming for sundresses. I had just finished Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver (excellent, read it now), and I wanted a garden and turkeys and the luxury of flourishing flora. I headed into spring with high ambitions for a garden from seed, but that didn't work out exactly as I planned. Maybe next year.

Luckily, the Boulder Farmer's Market goes into swing every Wednesday and Saturday to satisfy my desire to eat seasonally. Every time I go, thoughts of cold weather are driven far from my mind, and I'm so so happy it is summer. Right now, harvest is just about at its peak. The first week of August- it's on. One word: tomatoes. They aren't even worth buying any other time of the year except for the end of summer. OMG. There is something heaven-sent about a good tomato. I usually spend an hour picking out the perfect fruit from all of the different vendors, and then eat it like an apple while strolling around, making several trips to sample the goat cheese from Haystack Farms. Once my tomato is sitting safely in my belly, I'm on a mission for the perfect peach. F* Georgia. Colorado peaches are the bomb diggity. Seriously. Secret of the century. Lucky for me, the first peaches of the season are ready to go, and will be in abundance tonight.

Corn, fava beans, cherries, berries, squash and zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots are just some of the many fruits and veggies available right now. One of my favorite dishes lately has been a cauliflower puree topped with garlic sauteed vegetables. It's similar in constancy to mashed potatoes but healthier. I simply steam the cauliflower, add it to the food processor, add a healthy dollop of ricotta cheese, a little S&P, and puree til smooth. Cauliflower is high in folate, fiber, and contains the same phytochemicals as broccoli, so don't let the absence of color trick you into thinking it is worthless. The result? A filling dish with way less starch than if you used potatoes. Yum. I love summer. Most of the time.

On another note, Loveland Ski Area starts making snow in LESS THAN TWO MONTHS. Bring. It. On. Just in time for apples and pumpkins. Who says you can't have it all?