I say Tomato...

I'm a little chagrined. After all that talk about food seasonality and about eating things when Mother Nature intended, what did we go and do? We found ourselves a hydroponic grower in Muscle Shoals (see below) and took home several vegetables that if grown in the ground, wouldn't be ready until later this summer. After just one trip, our refrigerator and our menus underwent a massive overhaul. Tomatoes would co-mingle with squash, eggplant, green beans, and feta cheese. Sure, we still ate mustard greens and salads. But now those salads were adorned not just with root vegetables, but with cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. The possibilities in the kitchen were endless. Andy and I both felt emboldened by our new, albeit early, vegetable recruits. They gave us cause to experiment, to try unusual pairings, and to rediscover cooking with fresh foods. We found ourselves pouring over recipes, seeing what could be modified to suit our needs, and getting really excited to cook come supper time. We are quickly realizing that our palates still have some tastes left to discover.

Here's what we had the other night. This recipe is very similar to a dish my mother-in-law makes with zucchini. We tried squash instead and it turned out great:

Squash-Tomato Casserole

5-6 small squash, sliced in rounds
2-3 medium tomatoes, sliced in rounds (from Jack O Lantern Farm, Muscle Shoals)
3-4 strips of bacon, uncooked (from Rosita's Farm, Hartselle)
1/2 cup (more or less depending on your liking) of cheddar, jack, parmesan, or similar cheese, shredded (ours is Bama Jack from Sweet Home Farm, Elberta, AL)
fresh oregano, chopped (from Fig Leaf Farm, McCalla, AL)
salt

Layer sliced squash and tomatoes in a 2.5 qt casserole dish. Sprinkle with salt and oregano. Repeat layers (in given order) until dish is almost full. Top with grated cheese and bacon. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 min. Take cover off and bake for about 10 minutes more, until bacon is crispy. Divide and serve.