From Farm to Garden, Enjoying Fresh, Healthy, & Adventurous Summer Cooking

* Disclosure: I’m part of the Finish Power & Free Alliance of Moms and received complimentary product samples to facilitate this review, as well as compensation. The opinions expressed here are my own.

As funny as this may sound after experiencing the longest winter in recent memory, I absolutely love the change of seasons. Even when that change brings on bitingly cold New England winters, a new season means I get the chance to cook, create, and spend time with my family in a whole new way. As our days become filled with sunshine, I constantly think of new summer dishes and delicious meals to fit a new season of warmth and adventure.

One of my favorite parts of the summer comes from my love of cooking and gardening. This summer for the first time, I have a farm share with friends, and every weekend we travel to the farm and pick up incredibly fresh vegetables – even such new finds as scapes, kohlrabi, and Komatsuma – for adventuresome new recipes. Most weekends we arrive without even knowing what we’ll find but always leave inspired to create something flavorful. Between the farm share and the herbs I grow in flower boxes around my deck, the summer proves the best time for my husband and me to truly experiment and try new recipes in the kitchen and on the grill.

With such wonderful ingredients and seemingly endless recipes to try, I look forward to making dinner each evening – and my family loves the colorful and tasty dishes that fit perfectly with the relaxing summer atmosphere. By grabbing some basil, oregano, or chives from my herb garden and incorporating fresh vegetables from the farm, I can finally celebrate the onset of summer with bright salads, flavorful fish recipes, and exciting summer pasta dishes.

But as I challenge myself to create new dishes for my family, one obstacle remains: the clean up! Even with the incredible new ingredients I discover every weekend, no recipe leaves me without a bit of a mess in the kitchen. In fact, the adventurous recipes leave us with the most dishes! The days grow longer this time of year, and while I absolutely cherish these beautiful summer evenings, I really don’t want to spend them grappling with a mound of dishes.

While I’m cooking with such fresh, local ingredients, I love that I can clean up with a dishwashing detergent that uses less-harsh chemicals. With products like Finish Quantum Power & Free Detergent and Jet-Dry Power & Free Rinse Aid, I know I can get my dishes clean and fresh – even the sauté pans with remnants of seared-on ingredients and dishes with lingering garlicky sauces – while using a gentler process. And I still love the fresh smell from the Power & Free products when I open the dishwasher each morning.

There’s something about truly being at peace with yourself while sitting in the sunlight, or enjoying the soft silence that comes with dusk in the summertime, that makes this change of season one of my favorites. And with more outdoor time comes more opportunities to create memories even more wonderful than the dishes my husband and I serve. Whether a farm share, your own herb garden, or simply buying a great summer cookbook, the new summer season offers us the chance to try something new, both in and outside of the kitchen. And thanks to products by Finish, we know we can extend this fresh, more gentle approach to our nightly clean up, and truly enjoy our wonderful summertime family meals.

 

 

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