A month of dinner menus for our house this June

June brings more variety in the garden for me to plan with. The beginning of the month will still have plentiful salad greens, spinach and mustard greens. Later in the month, these spring vegetables give way to snow peas, Swiss chard, beet greens, new potatoes, strawberries and blueberries.

I was feeling nostalgic for old-time favorites as I planned this month's menus. Included are two dinners from my mom's 1957 cookbook. In addition, for the months of June, July and August, we think it's fun to plan a dinner almost entirely from our garden. I'll begin that little tradition at the end of the month. June is also the month for me to clean out the freezer. I believe there's some frozen cooked turkey, cranberry sauce and lots of soup stock to use up. Time to make room for freezing some summer produce.

Summer means simpler meals and lots of cookouts and barbeques. 

Here's what we're having this month.

week of June 1 through 7

1  soft rosemary polenta with quick marinara, marinated lentil-barley salad (double batch for June 4)

2  roast chicken (freeze 1 container of meat for June 19, make chicken stock w/meat for June 9), steamed spinach, biscuits and gravy, rhubarb sauce

3  leftover chicken dinner, green salad, leftover rhubarb sauce

4  lettuce wraps with leftover lentil salad, Asian-style greens, garlic and noodle saute (great way to use garden greens)

5  Retro Night -- Tuna Bake with Cheese Pinwheel biscuits, lemon-buttered carrots, creamy rhubarb jello

6  meatball sandwiches, spinach salad, leftover jello

7  burritos (refried bean -- double batch and freeze for June 20, rice, corn, peppers, sour cream), green salad, fresh fruit

week of June 8 through 14

8  grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, green salad, canned pineapple chunks

9  chicken noodle soup, pumpkin muffins, green salad

10  baked bean casserole from the freezer, steamed garden greens, brown rice, rhubarb pie

11  Breakfast-for-dinner -- Corn-meal griddle cakes, ham slices, fresh fruit cup

12  Retro Night -- Home-style Macaroni and Cheese, green salad, roasted carrots, leftover rhubarb pie

13  Mexi-style rice and beans, green salad, strawberries

14  hot dog cookout, pasta salad, rhubarb jello salad, s'mores

week of June 15 through 21

15  Father's Day (plans are still up in the air)

16  turkey, garbanzo & tomato soup, garlic bread (from freezer French bread), green salad, plum pie (use freezer plums/crust)

17  waffles with fruit topping

18  bean patties (double batch and freeze for June 25), sauteed garden greens and garlic, herbed brown rice, strawberries

19  Retro Night -- Deep Dish Chicken Pot Pie, green salad, strawberry shortcake

20  refried beans (from freezer), Spanish rice, green salad, leftover shortcake

21  hamburgers, pasta salad (with canned tomatoes, olives, green veggies from garden), fresh strawberries

week of June 22 through 28

22  Breakfast-for-dinner -- Crispy-crumb Eggs, Cowboy Coffeecake, sliced bananas and strawberries

23  turkey, cranberry, cream cheese sandwiches, fresh fruit, green salad

24  veggie quiche, herbed brown rice, fresh strawberries, green salad

25  bean burgers from freezer, microwave corn bread, sauteed garden greens and garlic

26  ham salad sandwiches, fruit, garden vegetables, chocolate-banana bread

27  marinated lentil-barley salad over greens, fruit cobbler

28  hot dog cookout, fresh strawberries, green salad, s'mores

week of June 29 through 30

29  sloppy lentils on buns, sauteed garden greens with garlic, strawberry sorbet

30  Garden dinner -- green salad, new potatoes, strawberries and blueberries, steamed snow peas, French bread (from freezer) and cheese