A historical treat: Once early settlers realized that the “love apple” was not poisonous or dangerous, they invented refreshing dishes like this ”“ adapted here for our times:

Old Fashioned

Garden Tomato Pie

5 to 9 garden tomatoes

1 1/4 cup cheese, grated, your favorite; a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella is good

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

3 tablespoons fresh herbs ”“ basil, oregano, etc.

1 onion

1 zucchini, small

1 heavy-duty pie crust, uncooked

1 egg

Water

Butter

Blind bake heavy-duty pie crust, brushing with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water) before baking for 10-12 minutes or until pie crust has lightly browned.

Slice tomatoes and onion, and grate the zucchini. Layer tomatoes and sprinkle every layer with herbs, onion and zucchini. Keep layering until the pie is taller than the sides of the pan.

Mix cheese with mayonnaise. Spread cheese mixture over the top of the tomatoes and dot with butter.

Bake at 350 until the cheese is melted and bubbling, usually at least 30 minutes.

Slice with a sharp knife, and serve once cheese has cooled slightly.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

2 1/4 cups blueberries

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup butter, at room temperature

1 egg

1/2 cup strong coffee, combined with cream until it is light brown

2 1/4 cup flour

2 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Topping

2/3 cup sugar, half white, half brown

1/2 cup flour or less

4 tablespoons butter or more, at room temperature

1 teaspoon fine coffee grounds (fresh ground or fresh from the bag)

Set aside 1 cup of blueberries.

Combine soft butter with brown sugar but do not whip. Stir in egg.

Add a third of the flour, then add half of the coffee and finally add another third of the flour.

Pour in the last half of the coffee and stir; add the last of the flour, sprinkle it with the baking powder, and stir this mixture in halfway. Sprinkle with the blueberries, and then finish gently stirring the batter until it is just combined.

Pour half the cake batter into a well-buttered and sugared round glass pie pan of 8 or 9 inches, then spread the cup of blueberries all over the batter. Top with the rest of the cake batter.

Combine topping ingredients in a small bowl with a spoon, making sure to distribute the soft butter, until crumbs are made. You may adjust the ingredients slightly as needed, adding a little more butter or less flour, etc.

Sprinkle crumbs over the top of the coffee cake.

Bake at 350 until the top is lightly browned and the cake has pulled away from the sides of the pan, and a skewer has been thrust through the center of the coffee cake and come out clean, usually at least half an hour.

Note: To make Rainbow Zucchini Coffee Cake with zucchini from the garden, substitute 1 1/4 cup grated zucchini in for the blueberries and increase the sugar by a quarter cup or more. For the middle, still use a cup of blueberries or another fresh fruit. Also, you may wish to use some rainbow dyes or half a cup of mixed fruits in various colors to make the “rainbow” part.

Fresh Garden Salad

Put the rest of those garden veggies to work, too, with this fresh salad.

Tomatoes

Beans

Herbs

Swiss chard

Lettuce

Beet greens

Croutons, homemade or store bought

Cheese or tofu chunks

Nuts, chopped, or sunflower seeds

Citrus fruit, either orange or clementine pieces

Lime dressing (see recipe below)

Chop all your ingredients, making sure all pieces of the salad are bite-sized. Toss them together.

Drizzle with lime dressing, and serve immediately with a tall glass of lemonade.

Add a protein if you’d like ”“ try grilled tofu, meat or seafood, like haddock or lobster.

Lime Dressing

1 container lime yogurt

1 tablespoon of oil

1 teaspoon vinegar

Combine ingredients. Add oil and vinegar in a 3-1 ratio until you like the taste and consistency.