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Laura Calder's herb-flecked green beans are a Summer Fest all-star

We’re teaming up with other food and garden bloggers to host Summer Fest 2010, a season-long garden party. Each week we’ll feature favorite garden-to-table recipes and tips to help you enjoy the bounty, whether you’re harvesting your own goodies or buying them fresh from the market. To join in, check out awaytogarden.com.

We’re celebrating Julia Child’s birthday with a week-long ode to French food, so it’s only fitting to give this week’s Summer Fest themes—herbs, beans and greens—a little French flavor, too. While la cuisine francais may trigger thoughts of buttery croissants and rich sauces, fresh produce also plays a major role.

Laura Calder is another non-French champion of French cuisine—she’s Canadian; Julia was American. Both fell in love with France while living abroad, attended culinary school in Paris, and returned home eager to share everything they’d learned about French cooking.

Sure, Laura makes pastries and beef bourguignon, but for she’s also got plenty of recipes for fresh, summery fare. Here are three French-ified ways to use your bounty of herbs, beans and greens.

Laura turns green beans (above) into an addictive dish by adding a touch of crème fraiche and toasted hazelnuts, plus handfuls of fresh parsley and tarragon. Try to find the small, skinny beans—haricots verts—if you want to get authentic about it.

Laura's Gingered Watercress

This dish proves that watercress is not just for tea sandwiches eaten by ladies-who-lunch. Quickly sautéed with ginger, garlic and tomato, these peppery greens make a healthy and flavorful side.

Laura's Boiled Parslied Potatoes

Even parsley, often considered the most pedestrian of herbs, can turn boring-sounding boiled potatoes into a vibrant side dish.

What are you cooking with your herbs, beans and greens?

More Greens, Beans and Herbs with Friends and Family:

• Top 6 Herbs from Healthy Eats.
• Leftover Herb Solution (Pesto!) from Alison at Food2.
• Recipes for The “Other” Summer Greens from the FN Dish.
• White on Rice Couple Todd and Diane use fresh mint to make homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream.
• Nicole at Pinch My Salt features Green Beans with Balsamic Browned Butter.
• Margaret at A Way to Garden stores a year of herbs-and makes one-pot Farinata a polenta dish with greens.
• Food Network UK is on the edge with herbs and greens.
• Caroline at the Wright Recipes is cooking up Wax and Butter Bean Herbed Salad.
• Jennifer and Mark at Gilded Fork have a virtual garden of recipes for basil, cilantro, fennel, lavender, lemongrass, rosemary, sage and tarragon, including Lavender Pound Cake and Rosemary & Honey-Roasted Pears.
• Shauna and Danny at Gluten Free Girl and the Chef are growing fava beans.
• Tigress in a Jam has a preserving-book giveaway, and ways to put up greens, beans, herbs.
• Caron at San Diego Foodstuff talks about Kale and Feta Empanadas and roasted Romano beans.
• Alana at Eating From the Ground Up has shirred eggs with fresh herbs: the affinity between eggs and herbs.
• Cate O’Malley at Sweetnicks makes a fresh green bean salad.
• Kelly at Just a Taste makes fresh herb ricotta.
• Tara at Tea and Cookies whips up a Clean Out the Fridge Frittata.
• Judy at Tuscan Diva makes an Italian herb blend.
• Paige at The Sister Project has “Aloha, Pesto”.

Tags: beans French French Food At Home greens herbs Laura Calder Summer Fest 2010