Just finished a delicious Sunday family dinner which included fresh foods straight from the garden and our oven! Tonight's menu included my husband's famous burgers on his homemade French-bread buns. I whipped up a watermelon and tomato salad with fresh picked tomatoes from a friend's garden, mint and scallions from our herb garden, and drizzled it with olive oil and lime juice. We also plucked a couple heads of cabbage from our veggie garden, chopped them up, and steamed them with chicken broth, black pepper, and onions. Yum, yum, yum. I love being able to wander around our garden and decide what we can make for dinner. Home grown and prepared foods are always better. The smells fill the house when bread is baking in the oven, and the mint and scallions are being chopped for the salad. The flavors are more rich and pure, making even a simple meal seem gourmet. But the best part is when you get to send some home with your guests. I think they leave happy as well. If we bought factory made bread and cabbage from China, we wouldn't have been as inclined to send any home with the family. Growing and baking our own means they know where it came from and they know who made it. This is a very important part of eating local foods--knowing where and how it was produced, and also knowing the farmer. On Thursday, I will head back to the farmers market to stock up and introduce one of our local farmers. I can't wait! My Tomato & Watermelon Salad Recipe 2 cups Garden fresh tomatoes (preferably cherry and grape in all colors!) 4 cups Watermelon cut into 1" chunks 3 large sprigs of mint (your choice of flavor, I used Spearmint) 2 large scallions 3 tbs. extra virgin olive oil 1/2 lime squeezed into oil before you drizzle on top This is a very adaptable recipe and can be changed easily to personal preferences. Try using thin slices of raw red onion instead of scallions. Or try adding feta cheese for an extra kick!