We’re fully into summer now. Corn is the poster child of summer, and you can’t find much better corn than what’s grown here in the Midwest. Right now the corn is sweet enough that you could eat it raw if you’re like me and have poor self-control. We hope you all are enjoying the season so far. Right now really is the most exiting part of the year with an abundance of veggies in season. Here on out is going to be a whirlwind of delicious produce.
Quick reminder to bring-with/leave-out the totes with the containers from your previous share. If you have any in use, no problem; we can get them next time.
And as always, feel free to reach out with any questions or feedback. You can always email us csaclub@gardmo.com , or for in the moment cooking questions text (630)391-1245.
-Ben
This week we opted to give you the corn pretty much whole. That way you have the opportunity to grill the corn if you would. Husk on is our preferred way so that the corn steam a bit while on the grill. Soaking the ears beforehand will help keep the husk from burning, but we’ve trimmed most of the excess off so it shouldn’t be too much of an issue either way.
New potatoes are an early summer treat. Harvested before being able to cure in-ground, new potatoes have a thin papery skin, and should be kept refrigerated. Raw, they have a crisp texture that reminds me of jicama. Cooked they are extremely creamy which I think makes them perfect for potato salad.
These are the first carrots of this season. When I remove the greens from carrots, I like to leave a little bit on the carrot mostly because I think it’s super cute (it also makes the greens easier to clean). I like to roast early season carrots whole to really lean into how adorable they are. There’s a bit of variety in sizes, so simply halve or quarter the larger ones lengthwise.
A friend of mine used to refer to fennel as “celery that tastes like something.” And that taste is similar to licorice or anise (anethole is the chemical to thank for this). The entirety of the plant can be used: bulb, stalks, and fronds. The stalks are most similar to celery and can be fibrous. Chopping and cooking can help mitigate that. The fronds can be used as you would any other herb. The bulb is what most fennel recipes will call for and can be used in a variety of ways. I like to slice it thinly and toss with oil and vinegar for a salad. I also like to sauté or braise it, as it caramelizes really nicely.
To double down on cucumber-iness, recently I’ve been making a cucumber sauce (tzatziki) to dip slices of cucumber into. It’s been pretty tasty.
This variety of kale is a little frilly with mild flavor and pretty dark red color. It’s hardy and sautés well.
This is close to your typical eggplant, but with a more round shape and speckled purple skin. The old adage is to salt eggplant before cooking to reduce bitterness. I don’t know if it necessarily does that, but salting them does collapse air pockets in the eggplant that helps it cook more evenly.
Blistered shishito peppers are one of my favorite quick dishes. Quickly sauté/roast in a ripping hot pan/oven, and season (maybe with some green garlic salt) and your set. I will warn that while most of the shishitos will be mild, every now and then there is a spicy one. Its like playing hot-pepper-roulette.
Receiving cabbages in shares this time of year is nice as a rainy-day item. It will keep in the refrigerator for months, and you can always just cut a portion off the head to use, and put the rest back in the refrigerator for later (in a unsealed plastic bag).
We’ve moved on from spring onions and into full fresh summer onions. Without a curing step though, these haven’t formed the papery exterior yet and are best kept refrigerated so we just go ahead and peel them for you as well. These in particular are super sweet with only a mild flavor and crisp texture.
This is a white-fleshed muskmelon (think honeydew or cantaloupe). Its crisp, refreshing and has a light melon flavor that I think blurs the line with cucumber.
