This recipe combines the bounty of a summer garden -- peppers, okra, and tomatoes--in a delicious side dish. It’s always good served next to rice on a plate, or if you really like it, serve over rice in big bowl for simple one-dish, summer meal.

• ½ cup onion, finely chopped
• ½ cup bell pepper, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons bacon drippings (or you can use olive oil, for a little different flavor)
• 3 cups okra, sliced into ½-inch rounds
• 3 cups tomatoes, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ¾ teaspoon black pepper

Sauté onion and pepper in drippings or oil until the onions are clear. Add okra. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

Recipe taken from Southern and Then Some, a cookbook by the Alabama Farmer’s Cooperative, Inc.