Summer citrus all year

If you have citrus fruits that you know you won't be able to make use of before it's past its prime, here is a way to very easily preserve them indefinitely.
I personally love little jars, so that is what I started with. You can use other containers, but just make sure you can leave off the top/lid/cork. Start by zesting each type of fruit. At the moment I have 1 grapefruit, 2 oranges, and four limes. I zest each type separately, but if you wanted to blend them you certainly could. The zest goes into one of my little jars, cork off, with a little salt. I leave them in an open window to dry as much as possible, and the salt helps keep any mold from starting. Once they are completely dried, cork and keep in a cupboard. Now that you have zestless fruits, you can juice them and freeze the juice, or I prefer to freeze the naked fruit in a freezer bag whole. You can then defrost and juice, or even slice a bit off when frozen and toss it down your kitchen drain to make your sink disposal smell amazing. They are also great for margaritas or sangria, because the citrus will break down as it thaws, releasing much more flavor and juice than a fresh citrus. The zest you can use just like fresh in any recipe; just rinse in a little cold water to remove any salt.

Complex Pork Loin that isn't Complicated

I admit-- I've always been intimidated by pork. I can do ribs, and ham, and bacon, but a pork tenderloin is daunting. Not any more!!! :) The grocery store had an unbelievable deal this morning, so I figured  now would be the best time to try it-- even if it failed miserably, at least it would be a cheap lesson. Here's what I did, and it was delicious:
(for 2 servings)
2 small Fuji apples, sliced and put in a bowl with water and either lemon juice or lemonade to keep them from browning. Drain most of the lemonade/lemon/water, but keep about a 1/3-1/2 a cup. Put in a saucepan with brown sugar and some ground ginger. (You hopefully know by now that I'm not big on exact measurements-- just guess, taste, and alter as needed.) Reduce until the apples are soft but not mushy.

One bunch of spargel. It's white asparagus. If you can't find it, substitute something mild like julienned parsnips, wax beans, or very very thin young asparagus. Spargel is best, though. Trim the bottom third, and then put in a saute pan with butter. I adore the Land O'Lakes butter with olive oil and sea salt for this, but if you use regular butter, add some salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Heat on medium until the spargel is softened but not mushy.

Set oven to 350 degrees. Cut enough slices of pork tenderloin for each diner, 1" thick. Salt and pepper, and set aside.

In a bowl, combine 1/2 tsp of fresh minced rosemary, 2 cloves of minced garlic, a tbsp of dijon or spicy brown mustard, 1/4 c balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp of honey or maple syrup.

Sear pork on both sides for one minute. Then put them in a baking dish and cover with sauce. Bake for 8-10 minutes. When done, spoon pan sauce over the pork, and plate with the spargel and apples.

Freeze with Ease

There are some things you probably don't know you can freeze! Here are some of the things I felt lucky to source and learned to freeze correctly: blanched or lightly fried sliced russet potatoes, halved raw sweet onions (to be used in cooked applications, since they won't stay crunchy), tomato and cucumber as long as you want to use them in gazpacho (texture again), broccoli, mire poix, bell peppers, milk or cream, scrambled eggs (I do this and use in fried rice), bread/rolls/buns, and lastly, ramps/green garlic/scallions/leeks (lay flat in a freezer bag, add just enough water to barely cover, and squeeze out the air). Herbs can be dried or frozen, or even both (dry first).

Take advantage of all the great seasonal produce available the next few months and if you're not sure how to use it best, freeze it, research, and experiment!