Our brand new grandson was born into our family this past week, after which my son-in-law named it “Birthday Week,” not only for the fact of his own birthday and that of his newborn son, but also because we celebrated the first birthday of the infant’s newly promoted big sister! Birthday week!! In celebration of this newly expanded family, the week basically consisted of one wonderful meal after the next, all of which reminded me of a post that I wrote once upon a time about the meals at my parents’ small farm in the Watchung Mountains of New Jersey. The years have passed, and my own parents are gone now, but all our beautiful babies have been named in memory of my mother and father, and that has been a gift of its own.

Lots of people talk about how to add more vegetables to their meals, but on the farm my folks walked the walk. Eating vegetables was what they did, and it’s what they taught us to do, too. In a way, my daughter’s in-laws have picked right up where my own parents left off. This week they arrived with a bounty of their homegrown veggies from which they made, among other dishes, a gorgeous composed salad consisting primarily of radishes (both fresh and braised), pine nuts, white beans, and, to top it off, a radish-leaf pesto. It was startlingly delicious, and we showed our deep appreciation in the thoroughness with which we emptied the platter. Back in New Jersey, our dear friend and dining companion, Connie, would wax eloquent about the best green beans, or eulogize the asparagus and strawberries whose season was over until next year. We talked about vegetables like they were our friends, and they were.

Here’s one representative example of a Jersey summer celebration, along with a sampling of vegetables and fruit that were on the table. There was also a bottle of Crane Lake Sauvignon Blanc, bottles of Sam Adams, and a rib roast from one of my father’s steers from the previous year. Something for everyone.

1) Large Vidalia onions and beefsteak tomatoes, sliced in half horizontally, rubbed with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, pepper and thyme, and baked in a large tray until softening.

2) Mixed red and white quinoa with a generous amount of stir-fried onions and a sprinkling of fresh corn kernels.

3) Bok choy braised with minced garlic until tender, sprinkled with white wine and sesame oil.

4) Connie’s green beans with herbs and potatoes. Connie learned to make green beans this way from her mother and mother-in-law. She calls it “Midwestern style,” and it is truly my favorite recipe for green beans. To make this recipe, you will need access to a lot of herbs, or an herb garden.

Begin by trimming the ends of the green beans. Soak them, along with 2 large potatoes, in cold water for 1-2 hrs prior to cooking. This technique cleans, plumps, and freshens the beans and potatoes. Chop the potatoes into quarters, set to boil, and add 2-3 bay leaves to the water. Connie calls this “an old Grandma trick to enhance the flavor.” When the potatoes are almost cooked through, add the green beans and cook until bright green. Dump the water immediately, and remove the bay leaves.

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegan spread (Connie’s preferred choice) into the vegetables, along with 2 tablespoons each fresh chives, parsley, dill, and oregano. Add salt and pepper to taste. With a fork, coarsely break up some of the potatoes into 1-2 inch chunks so that some of the potato coats the green beans. Serve immediately.

5) Cherries for dessert, along with fig cookies from the Italian bakery.