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.
-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 like. Husk on is our preferred way so that the corn steams 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.
Green beans tend to be one of the more fragile vegetables. Because of this, local ones are much tastier than those at the end of long supply chains. These are sweet, crisp, and have a depth of flavor that’s lightly floral with notes of fresh mushroom. I enjoy snacking on them raw, but with a quick sauté and some garlic they are exceptional.
There are a couple different varieties of cherry tomatoes in this mix. A yellow one that is a nice burst of tartness. A skinny red one that has a more mild flavor. And one that is more similar to the multi-colored heirlooms that are coming into season at farmers’ markets.
These are a fun variety of bell peppers. They have a thin purple skin with white flesh. It tastes more like a red bell pepper than a green one with fruity notes rather than grassy/vegetal. I went ahead and cut these into strips to make them easy to snack on or one cut away from a dice for cooking with (the purple color comes from anthocyanins which are water soluble so you’ll notice the color fade when you cook them).
Eggplant is great at carrying flavor. Roasting, or grilling it gives it a nice smoky tasty that goes great as the star of a sandwich, dip, or just with other veggies.
Artichokes are truly a treat. The smell of them reminds me of sandalwood or incense. They take of bit of work and unfortunately because they oxidize quickly, it can’t be done ahead of time. Here is a great article on how to trim and steam artichokes. If you don’t have a lemon on hand, distilled vinegar would also work. Then all you need is a tasty sauce to dip the artichoke in. Artichokes also have a tendency to make other food taste particularly sweet thanks to a compound called cynarine, so maybe don’t serve with that special bottle of wine.
The heads of cauliflower were pretty large so the floret to stem ratio was somewhat low. There’s still enough though to sauté with green beans, leek and tomatoes for a nice pasta primavera.
Swiss chard always reminds me of spinach. There’s a fun mix of different colored chard here, some a deep red-orange color. Its has a mild, earthy flavor, with a slightly more hardy bite than lettuces. Give a quick chop and use for salads or sauté, just as you would spinach.
Muskmelons are the subcategory of melon that includes cantaloupe (orange) and honeydew (green),. There are lots different varieties that often are just called one of those two more popular names. Growing up, I never really saw the appeal of them. My first season of a CSA changed that. These melons are intensely sweet with a flavor that reminds me of a milk caramel candy.
Poblanos are a slightly spicy variety of chile pepper. They have a smoky, meaty flavor that does really well with cheese. We left them whole since the size of them makes them nice for grilling or stuffing.
Small versions of leek, we split them (best way to clean between the layers) and then trimmed them. They’re nice sliced thinly, and used anywhere you would use onion, although they’re popular in French cuisine so there are a few dishes that call for them specifically.
