Having just seen Food, Inc. I am tempted to give up food altogether, or maybe grow my own food. And in a way, I try. I have a tiny collection of herbs growing in my balcony pots up here on the third floor, a kind of garden in the sky.
Herbs in the sky
I have chives, dill, basil, lemon basil, oregano, mint, and parsley all within reach of my scissors. And two tomato plants. It’s a modest group but as many adventurous cooks know just a little fresh seasoning goes a long, long way in making a simple dish sing with interesting flavors. Last summer, I interviewed award-winning San Diego chef Carl Schroeder who declared that July was “absolutely his favorite month” because of the array of fresh ingredients available (Carl’s restaurant Market is devoted to using seasonal, local produce).
The other night, I sautéed chicken tenders (this is before I saw “Food, Inc.”) over medium heat in some good-quality olive oil with chopped garlic. I steamed thinly sliced, salted summer squash with fresh oregano and enjoyed it all with a serving of brown rice seasoned with chives. It was relatively fast and easy to prepare, and the flavors shone through nicely.
Mint ice cubes
I also filled my water glass with mint ice cubes, which is a revelation to me this summer. I never know what to do with the abundance of mint each year, other than garnishing a glass of lemonade or salad. Hardly enough to make use of the harvest. But a number of food blogs like this one suggest laying one leaf in each section of an ice cube tray, filling it with water, and freezing it. Voila! A handy supply of minted ice cubes are now on hand whenever I want them. (You can also use this approach to freeze other leftover or abundant herbs.)
And that’s not a bad idea as we head into the dog days of August.
Cooking tip: To find good quality olive oil, read the label on the bottle. Try to find one that uses olives from only one country.
Kitchen Report 
Thanks for the idea! I just got a bouquet of fresh mint today from the farm share and I was wondering what I was going to do with them.
One other thing I’d like to try is something I had at a restaurant last weekend – chilled peach soup! It had a wonderful minty essence but was creamy and thick with the nectar of peaches! If you come across a recipe for that, let me know!
Love the minted ice cubes. The Real Simple Celebrations book suggests doing the same with little chunks of lemon or lime or slices of ginger.
Regarding uses of mint: not only in the fruit salad (especially with melon and anything) but a little bit shopped fine in the tossed salad is surprising and fresh.
What a very nice idea.
The chicken tenders sound like they were tasty as well.
I love mint water (metro mint). I will definitely try mint ice cubes! thanks for the tip.
Wonderful ideas. I have a really big garden of herbs and was thinking that I should try drying them to use during the cold weather months. Any tips on drying?
Thanks
Happy to hear these ideas – love fresh food and herbs!
I will have to try the mint ice cubes 🙂
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You were wondering what to do with your abundance of mint-perhaps beyond the ice cubes. There used to be a “wraps” type of sandwich shop in the Prudential building, next to TMC, in their food court. They had (have???) veggie wrap that had a huge amount of mint, and other greens in it–that I love! If it’s still there, and you have the means of getting there, perhaps you can decode that wrap. I’d love to know what’s in it. I recall asking about it, and the guy was vague. Just a thought…