WWJD?

When a friend hands you Pak Choi ....make lemonade. No, that doesn't sound right. Braise it? Grill it? Stir fry it? What would Julia do?

My best friends, Rick and Barbara, are gardeners with the mad skills, dedication and the patience it takes to grow vegetables of gem-like beauty, and complex taste. And they're generous too. In seasons past, I've managed to come away from our gatherings with armloads of fresh produce that the local grocery store simply cannot match.

This 4th of July was no exception. We're sitting out in the backyard enjoying the sunny afternoon and Barbara casually reaches over into their "Grow Camp" mini greenhouse, plucks a perfect Pak Choi out of the dirt and presents it to me. Made me feel like I'd just been made Miss America oddly. The pak choi is now glowing palely at me from the sink drainer, and I'm fantasizing about braising it in something low-cal and savory for lunch. (Imagine Homer noises here.)

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P.S. I think R&B are onto my tomato-deprived act. Looking hungry and pathetic only takes you so far until the suggestion is made, gently, that perhaps you should consider growing tomatoes yourself. (Did I mention that some folks call me "Purple Thumbed Les?") But six plants are currently flowering in the backyard so perhaps there's hope. They are Early Girl (2), Roma (2), Sweet 100 Cherry (1) and Sungold Cherry (1).