Hungry? Ideas for good eats from my late summer fridge

by Aimee

I‘m a fan of organizing the refrigerator before a long weekend or major holiday. It happens at Easter, to make room for ham and cheesecake, and before Christmas, in order to house party punch and appetizers.

It makes me feel on top of things, at least in one department! This Labor Day weekend we’re having a few friends over and I’ve pepped a few things in advance so I can spend more time visiting around my grill.

I store a lot of items in jars, so I can see at a glance what I have on hand, and now you can too. Want to see what’s on those shelves? Hit the jump.

Ideas for good eats from my late summer fridge, from salads to snacks, dinner and dessert:

Fresh Tomato Sauce. The paste tomatoes in my garden are coming in strong and it only takes a few minutes to combine them with olive oil, garlic and herbs and simmer them down to a sauce. Having a jar or two on hand saves dinner on our busy days. Here are two recipe if you want to can tomato sauce for long-term storage or for freezing.

Garlic Dill Pickles steal the show on any cheese or charcuterie platter and are a late-summer staple. I can some for long-term storage, and keep a jar in the fridge for frequent snacking.

Cold-Brewed Iced Tea is still a favourite drink to round out my backyard barbecues. I brew it in 1 L Weck jars and serve it in the same.

Lacto fermented pickles stay nice and crisp in the refrigerator, as do melons (behind the pickles).

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are my current craving and I like to keep a jar of dough in the fridge to bake up warm cookies for guests or school lunches.

Pico de Gallo is a favourite way to use up tomatoes, garlic and cilantro from the garden. We spoon it over nachos and heap it onto grilled salmon.

Farro Salad keeps for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. I make a base using this recipe and add in herbs, feta, nuts or fruit. Occasionally it gets topped with a fried egg and called lunch.

Berries, fresh and in various condiment form, are still prevalent in my refrigerator. I do a whipped butter with them for scones and toast, as well as a slow cooker fruit butter that is heavenly over pancakes.

Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes are still a preferred snack around here, especially when paired with fresh ricotta on toast.

Of course the fridge is packed with vegetables for roasting, grilling and snacking. And eggs, always plenty of eggs from our hens.

I tend to buy my fish and meat fresh from the market the same day I prepare them, so I don’t have a big stash in the fridge – other than bacon, that is! Butter, cheese and other dairy products are in the bottom drawer, and condiments are in the side doors, which are not pictured.

And there you have my late-summer refrigerator!

What’s in your late-summer fridge and what is on the menu for the long weekend?

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