Let the garden
do the cooking!
It's officially hot and sunny in Crete until further
notice. The weather forecasters can take a
few months off. The current temperature of
32C/90F is bound to rise until the fall. The
occasional strong winds (meltemi) will provide
relief to some and trouble for others.
The cicadas have taken center stage in the Sounds of
Summer concert. The children are on the beach from
morning to dusk …until their parents plead with them
to break for food and sleep.
On the docks, the fishermen are weary from working
double time in an attempt to supply demand for fresh
seafood. The stream of visitors seem unaware of the
crisis of dwindling fish stocks (or that the huge hotels
serve farmed seafood from the other side of the
world).
In our organic garden, the heirloom tomatoes,
eggplant, peppers, and cucumbers are holding up to
the usual summer threats of bugs, wind, scorching
sun and drought. It's survival of the fittest in the plant
world and we appreciate their efforts. These
conditions magnify the flavor of fresh produce —
intensely sweet tomatoes, peppers and melon, to
name just a few of Crete's summer bounties.
 The refreshing cucumbers balance out perfectly with
tomatoes in our usual horiatiki (aka village or Greek
salad). If we do not have to cook in this weather,
there's no reason to bother!
Kali Orexi! Nikki Rose
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