This time of year always feels like a bit of a blur, in the best kind of way. The days are longer, the garden’s really taking off, and the hens are laying like they have something to prove. With each day a little more humid and warmer, afternoon pop-up storms and Junebugs in mass, June has a wild way of taking us right out of spring and into summer

Around our little farm, meals start to change a little. Heavy winter dishes get replaced with easy, fresh meals that don’t take much effort but still feel special. Most days, I’m too busy weeding beds, tending birds, starting the summer preserving or heading to tennis practice to fuss over anything fancy. But thanks to our hens, I always have a bowl of beautiful eggs on the counter, and they’re just about the easiest base for good food I know and appreciate.

Here are a few of my go-to egg dishes right now, perfect for these sultry, summer days:

Herbed Poached Eggs with Greens on Toasted Bread

This one’s a favorite for late mornings or lazy lunches. I poach a couple eggs (1 minute is the sweet spot), toast up a slice of freshly baked bread, and pile it with lightly dressed (white wine vinegar, splash of olive oil Dijon mustard, salt and pepper) greens; whatever’s still hanging in from the garden. Add the eggs on top, crack a little black pepper, and scatter some light flavored herbs like dill, basil, or parsley. It’s simple, pretty, and feels like something you’d order at a tiny café with iron chairs and a gravel path.

Summer Quiche with Tomatoes, Swiss Chard & Eggs

If I’ve got a pie crust in the fridge (homemade or not … I don’t judge because I use either), I’ll throw together a quiche. A few eggs, a splash of cream or milk, whatever cheese is hiding in the fridge, and a mix of greens and early tomatoes. Bake it until golden and set, and you’ve got a light dinner or an easy lunch for the next day. I usually serve it with some pickled green beans or a cucumber salad.

Farm Egg Salad with Dill & a Little Tang

We always have plenty of eggs to boil through the seasons, especially bantam eggs as my little silkies and mille fleurs are fantastic layers. This version of egg salad has a bit of zip; plain Greek yogurt, a spoon of good yellow mustard, a splash of pickle juice, and plenty of fresh dill or whatever herbs are hanging around. Scoop it into lettuce wraps or onto crackers, and lunch is served.

A Little Something on the Side

Most of our meals right now come with whatever’s ripe: blueberries still damp from the dew, sugar peas, radishes, cucumbers, early tomatoes, or a few scraggly beans from the first pickings. I love how easy it all feels. It’s just good food in its time.

Making the Ordinary Lovely

Whether I’m eating at the table or out on the porch swing, I still like to make it a little pretty; an old linen tea towel, a jar of garden flowers, maybe a bit of music in the background. Spotify playlists set any tone beautifully. I don’t think beauty has to be formal. It just has to feel like home.

If you’ve got fresh eggs and a few herbs on hand, I hope this gives you a little push to slow down and enjoy a simple, delicious bite as the hot, summer days roll in. I love to savor it all … muddy boots, a busy kitchen, a henhouse full of happy ladies, and fresh food straight from our little farmette.