I must give my thanks to Mark at Ollin Farms for introducing me to Hon Tsai Tai. Since I joined Ollin Farms’ CSA, I have a feeling this summer is going to be one of culinary experimentation with whatever they give me in my weekly share of organic veggies. I’m definitely up for the challenge.

Hon Tsai Tai, however, wasn’t really a challenge. I treated it like broccoli rabe and was pleased with the result. It also went well with some Hazel Dell mushrooms.

I chopped the hon tsai tai into reasonably sized pieces and sautéed them in a little olive oil and chopped garlic for just a few minutes until they softened and turned deep green. Then sprinkled it with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. This was really simple and really good.

This is the best time of year because fresh produce is finally growing in Colorado. I have a basil plant at home, so now I can start making fresh pesto in a pinch.

I put a cup of walnuts, a cup of basil, 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, some sea salt, crushed black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil in my food processor, and in a minute had pesto. Perfecto!

Savory Spice Shop makes everything in my kitchen possible. I love these shrimp.

I made up a rub with:

• 1/2 TB garlic powder
• 1 TB granulated onion
• 1 tsp Aleppo pepper
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• a pinch of sea salt
• 1 TB olive oil

I had thawed some frozen shrimp, peeled them leaving the tail, de-veined the suckers, and coated them in this spice mixture. They grilled for just a few minutes and were delicious.

I served them with my Grilled Tomatillo Guacamole.

I took off the skins and took out the pits of two avocados. Then I covered them in a little olive oil and lemon juice and grilled them hollow side down for 3-4 minutes.

I love making and drinking a good, home made Bloody Mary in the summer. This summer, I’ll be adding cracked pepper vodka.

I cracked some pepper and put it in a bottle of Vodka.

I tipped the bottle upside down a few times. Then I let it sit… maybe for too long… I think it was a few weeks. Every few days I tipped it upside down to move the pepper. Finally, I strained out the pepper and poured the vodka back into its bottle.

The final product was really peppery. I’ll see how it tastes in drinks and let you know.