It’s July. The month named after the famous general and conqueror Julius Caesar. The general who occupied the whole of Gaul in 50 BC. All of Gaul? No no, we all (?) know the story of that small village populated by indomitable Gauls who never stopped resisting the invaders. A village famous for its inhabitants’ passionate enthusiasm for wild boar. An enthusiasm that is based on culinary motives in particular. One might think that the exclusive diet of wild boar led to long-term deficiency symptoms among the villagers, as neither vegetables nor fruit were consumed in that infamous village – but contrary to all logical conclusions, those villagers were bursting with unbridled energy. Could this be due to the infamous magic potion, the ingredients of which are completely unknown and still a well-kept secret? The author of this article assumes that the wise druid and creator of the magic potion knew about the amazing effects of vegetables and fruit and secretly infused his villagers with the necessary vitamins and nutrients using this miracle potion. The secret of the magic potion will probably never be revealed, but at least today we know all the more about the superpower of fruit and vegetables, which is why this month we are also revealing what the fields have to offer this season:
Fruit
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Apricots
- Peaches
- Currants
- Sour cherries
- Cherries, sweet
- Mirabelle plums
- Gooseberries
- Plums
- Blackberries
- Clear apple
Vegetables
- Cauliflower
- Chinese cabbage
- Peas
- Fennel
- Cucumbers
- Peppers
- Eggplant
- Beans
- Romanesco
- Zucchinis
- Broccoli
- Potatoes
- Kohlrabi
- Carrots
- Leek
- Radish
- Swiss chard
- Beet
- Red cabbage
- Turnips (May/autumn turnips)
- Spinach
- Pointed cabbage
- Savoy cabbage
- White cabbage
- Celery stalks and celeriac
- Onions
- Spring onions
- Rhubarb
- Colorful variety of lettuce (endive, lamb’s lettuce, romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, lettuce, radiccio, lettuce, etc.)
- Rocket
This month we’re also giving you ideas for your own kitchen. In July, things should be uncomplicated: A picnic or summer party recipe, simple but delicious:
Focaccia with tomatoes- recipe
For the dough
625 g flour (spelt or wheat)
500 ml lukewarm water
2½ tsp salt
1 tsp dry yeast
Topping
250 g cherry tomatoes
135 ml olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (approx. 1 tbsp finely chopped)
Salt and pepper
Fresh basil to garnish
A little olive oil to work with
Preparation
Mix the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add lukewarm water and knead all the ingredients together until no more flour is visible and a coarse, sticky dough is formed.
Pour 60 ml of olive oil into a second large bowl. Now place the dough in the bowl and turn it in the oil with oiled hands. Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rise at room temperature for about 60-90 minutes. The dough should roughly double in volume. The longer you leave it to rise, the more flavorful it will be.
Then spread the dough on a baking tray (greased or with baking paper). You have to pull the dough apart quite a bit until it stays in the tin. Cover the dough and leave to rise for another 30 minutes.
In the meantime, halve the tomatoes. Finely chop the garlic and rosemary and mix with approx. 45 ml olive oil.
Grease your hands with olive oil and then press dents into the dough with your fingers. Cover the dough with tomatoes (cut side up) and brush with the oil and herb mixture. Finally, season with salt and pepper.
Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees top/bottom heat for approx. 30-35 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Garnish the finished focaccia with fresh basil and you’re ready to serve!
