July 30, 2020 - This Week's Box Contents, Featuring Sweet Corn!

Cooking With This Week's Box

Sierra Blanca Onions: Beer Battered Onion Rings; Chopped Tomato, Onion & Cucumber Salad; One-Pan Chicken with Potatoes & Tarragon

Missouri Garlic: Roasted Garlic Butter; Chinese “Dry-Fried” Green Beans; Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Herbed Yogurt

Green and/or Italian Zucchini: Grilled Corn Kale Salad (see below); Crustless Quiche with Summer Vegetables; Summertime Beer-Battered Fried Zucchini with Honey Mustard Ranch Dipping Sauce

Green and Silver Slicer Cucumbers (included in some boxes this week): Chopped Tomato, Onion & Cucumber Salad; Thai Cucumber Salad with Peanuts

Green Beans: Chinese “Dry-Fried” Green Beans

Green Curly Kale: Grilled Corn Kale Salad (see below); Vegetarian Kale Taco Salad

Red Prairie or Gold Carola Potatoes: Crispy Smashed Potatoeswith Herbed Yogurt; One-Pan Chicken with Potatoes & Tarragon

Sweet Corn: Sweet Corn Pancakes (see below); Grilled Corn Kale Salad (see below); Cornbread with Fresh Sweet Corn

Sunorange, Chocolate Sprinkles or Red Grape Tomatoes: Chopped Tomato, Onion & Cucumber Salad; Tomato Basil Scrambled Eggs

Tomatillos: Grilled Tomatillo & Pineapple Salsa; Roasted Tomatillo and Black Bean Chili

Cauliflower OR Broccoli: Chicken Broccoli Quesadilla; Grilled Cauliflower Hummus Sandwich; Roasted Cauliflower and Carrot Pizza

Orange Carrots: Ranch Fun Dip; Roasted Cauliflower and Carrot Pizza

Black Eggplant (included in some boxes this week): Eggplant & Chickpea Patties; Baked Eggplant Parmesan Penne

This week’s box is full of summer!  Rays of sunshine all soaked up and transformed into deliciousness by these beautiful vegetables!  Lets dive in and get cooking…and eating!  We’re talking sweet corn in this week’s vegetable feature, and what is summer without sweet corn!  Sweet corn is one of those vegetables you just can’t rush.  Even though we want a crop to be ready by a certain harvest date, it just doesn’t work that way.  Every crop matures on its own time and there’s nothing we can do except wait for the point of perfection and pick it!  This means sometimes we have a lot and sometimes we have a little. Regardless of how much you have, there are so many ways to use sweet corn that go beyond just corn on the cob.  You know I love to start the day off with vegetables in my breakfast, so why not kick off your morning with Sweet Corn Pancakes (see below)!  Top them off with some fresh berries and a drizzle of maple syrup and I guarantee you’ll have a good day.  If you’re looking to stay in the category of savory, consider this week’s other featured recipe for Grilled Corn and Kale Salad (see below).  Summer is the time to get creative with making and enjoying non-lettuce based vegetable salads.  This Grilled Corn and Kale Salad is a substantial salad that can serve as a meal all its own.  Massaged kale with grilled zucchini, corn and slices of fresh onions piled high.  If there’s room in your bowl, feel free to add some avocado, grilled chicken or poached fish as well!

Vegetarian Kale Taco Salad
photo from thealmondeater.com

Before we move on to other topics, I have a few more summer salad options to mention.  If the Grilled Corn and Kale Salad isn’t on your list for this week, you might want to use the kale to make this Vegetarian Kale Taco Salad.  I also want to mention this Chopped Tomato, Onion & Cucumber Salad.  This is a simple salad, but if you use good ingredients you don’t need to do much to make it delicious!  Add parsley from your herb garden, dress it with a simple basic vinaigrette of honey, Dijon mustard and lemon juice or vinegar.  Eat it just as it is, or serve it spooned over grilled bread for bruschetta or with hummus and pita chips.  I also have my eye on this Thai Cucumber Salad with Peanuts.  The thing I like about salads with Thai influence is how they utilize fresh, simple and clean ingredient combinations.

Did you notice how beautiful the dark, shiny beans are this week?  If you aren’t afraid of a little spice, try these Chinese “Dry-Fried”Green Beans.  This utilizes a stir-fry method from the Szechuan region of China where the food is spicy and flavorful!  On the other end of the spectrum, did you notice the brilliant white Sierra Blanca onions!  So beautiful, mild, tasty, and perfect for Beer Battered Onion Rings!  I know, we just talked about healthy kale salads and now I’m suggesting deep fried food?  Yes, at least once a summer we need to put a pot of oil on the stove and make fresh onion rings.  While you’re at it, you might as well make some Summertime Beer-Battered Fried Zucchini with Honey Mustard Ranch Dipping Sauce as well!

One-Pan Chicken with Potatoes & Tarragon
photo from alexandracooks.com

We are so grateful for this year’s potato crop!  This really is the time to indulge in potatoes, when they are fresh and so delicious.  I still think it’s wise to keep the preparations simple, such as Andrea Bemis’ recipe for Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Herbed Yogurt.  We featured her recipe in a previous newsletter.  This recipe actually employs a combo cooking method.  First you boil the potatoes, then smash them and roast them so they get crispy.  Then you serve them with a creamy yogurt based sauce laced with fresh parsley, dill, lemon and garlic.  Of course you could just boil them and slather them with some homemade Roasted Garlic Butter!  I also found this recipe for One-Pan Chicken with Potatoes & Tarragon.  You could substitute chervil from your herb garden in place of the tarragon, or really any other fresh herb of your choosing.  In this recipe, you roast the potatoes alongside the chicken which has a marinade made of Dijon mustard and mayonnaise—so odd I have to try it!

I like quiche any time of the year, so this recipe for Crustless Quiche with Summer Vegetables caught my eye.  I also like recipes that are intended to be versatile, as this one is.  Use whatever summer vegetables are speaking to you.  Potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, or peppers are all great selections.  We’ll have many more tomatoes yet to come, but even if you only have a few you can still make Tomato Basil Scrambled Eggs for breakfast!

Roasted Tomatillo and Black Bean Chili
photo from recipewisdom.com

We weren’t sure we’d be able to harvest tomatillos again this week, but the plants pulled through for us and we have enough to send another pound your way this week!  This was our featured vegetable last week, so if you didn’t have a chance to read the feature article, check out our blog and you’ll find twelve delicious recipes using tomatillos!  This week I want to try this Grilled Tomatillo & Pineapple Salsa.  You could just eat it with chips, or serve it over grilled fish or chicken.  Of course, you could also make this tasty Roasted Tomatillo and Black Bean Chili and serve it with Cornbread with Fresh Sweet Corn!

Quesadillas are on our dinner rotation pretty frequently, mainly because they are quick and easy to make and you can put nearly anything in them.  So, lets give these Chicken Broccoli Quesadillas a try!  I also want to try this Grilled Cauliflower Hummus Sandwich.  I don’t think I’ve ever eaten cauliflower on a sandwich, but why not?  While we’re trying new things, I’ll also mention this recipe for Roasted Cauliflower and Carrot Pizza.  That’s right, cauliflower and carrots on pizza!

Ranch Fun Dip
photo by Kristin Miglore for food52.com

So, over the weekend I watched the most recent Genius Recipe video on Food52.com.  It caught my eye because it was described as a recipe that will get you eating more vegetables.  Ok, I need to know how this recipe will do that and I have to admit, this is a pretty genius idea.  In fact, I wish I had come up with it myself!  So the original idea behind this concept was to create a healthy snack that could travel well without having to be refrigerated.  Vegetables and dip is a great snack, but most dip options need to be refrigerated.  That’s where the genius part of this recipe comes in—this dip is totally dry and shelf stable!  Remember Fun Dip candy where you dip the stick into candy powder?  That was the inspiration for this concept.  All the flavor is packed into a dry mix that you dip fresh vegetables in.  The vegetables need to have a little water on them which will make the dry seasoning mix stick to them!  The recipe on Food52.com is for Ranch Fun Dip, but feel free to get creative and make up your own flavor combinations and pair them with any vegetables you want to starting with this week’s fresh carrots!

Baked Eggplant Parmesan Penne

We’re nearly at the bottom of the box, but before we finish we need to talk about the glossy, elegant black eggplant.  I was taking a look at our recipe archives and wanted to mention a few delicious recipes from the past featuring eggplant.  The first is Eggplant & Chickpea Patties.  These are so tasty and make a great main dish item for a vegetarian dinner.  The second is for Baked Eggplant Parmesan Penne, which was a hit in previous years even amongst the crowd of individuals who are a hard sell when it comes to eggplant!

Ok, that’s a wrap for this week.  Next week we’ll likely have some delicious sun jewel melons for you and hopefully a few peppers and more tomatoes…and corn!  Enjoy the last week of July and I’ll see you back here next week for more summer recipes!---Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Sweet Corn

By Chef Andrea

Summer isn’t summer without sweet corn and we work really hard to grow the sweetest, best tasting corn we can!  Sweet corn is not always the easiest crop to grow.  Variety selection is a big part of the picture and there’s also the issue of pest control because, unfortunately, we are not the only creatures who like to eat sweet corn in the summer!  If you’re interested in learning more about what it takes to grow sweet corn, I’d encourage you to read the article we published on our blog last year entitled “The Journey of Sweet Corn:  From Seed to Table.”

Icing corn after harvest

Sweet corn is a crop you can’t rush, it’s ready when it’s ready and you just have to do your best to determine when it’s at its optimal maturity.  Sometimes you’ll have a lot and sometimes there will only be a small amount to pick.  Regardless of the quantity, I want to encourage you to think about ways you might enjoy and use corn that go beyond the classic Corn on the Cob.  Before we jump into preparation, I need to mention one very important thing about sweet corn that you need to remember.  Keep It Cold!!!  When you get your sweet corn home, please put it directly into the refrigerator and keep it there until you’re ready to cook it.  If refrigerator space is an issue, remove the husk and put the ears of corn in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.  Keeping sweet corn cold is important for maintaining the sugar content.  Time and warm temperatures will cause sugars to convert to starch which will negatively impact both flavor and texture.

Corn cut from the husk after cooking

As for using corn, you may choose to cook it in the husk or without the husk and you also have the option of cooking it on the cob or cutting it off the cob before cooking.  Often people will choose to cook corn on the cob and in its husk if they’re cooking it on a grill or open fire.  If you do this, you should soak the ears of corn in their husks for a bit before putting them on the grill, otherwise the husks will dry out and burn more quickly.  If you choose to remove the husks first, you have several options for cooking the corn if left on the cob.  You can roast it in the oven or place it directly on the grill.  You can also boil ears of corn in salted water.  Once cooked, you can either eat it directly off the cob or cut the kernels off the cob using a paring knife. Whether cooked or raw, cutting kernels off the cob can sometimes get a little messy.  I like to prop my ear of corn up on end in a shallow bowl when I cut the kernels off the cob.  This way the kernels will fall into the bowl instead of all over the cutting board.

photo by Marcus Nilson for epicurious.com

Once corn is cooked you have many options for how to use it.  You can incorporate it into pasta dishes, risotto, vegetable salads, soup, chowder, quesadillas, tacos and salsa!  You can also use fresh corn kernels in cornbread, muffins, waffles, pancakes or even to make desserts such as ice cream or a blueberry sweet corn crumble!  A little fresh corn can really brighten up any dish with its sweetness, color and tender texture.  If you need a little help finding recipes or ideas, check out this article from Epicurious that includes 79 recipes using corn!

We always focus on the kernels of corn, but if you really want to maximize each ear of corn we really should look at how to use the entire ear!  For starters, don’t discard the cobs!  Corn cobs have a lot of flavor and can be used to make a flavorful Corn Cob Broth or stock.  Corn cob broth can be used when making risotto, poaching fish or chicken, or as the base for sauces and soups.   There are many ways you can do this, but here are a couple versions to get you started.  

Corn Stock by Martha Stewart

Corn Stock by Saveur Magazine

I also learned that corn silk has health benefits and can be made into tea using either fresh or dried silks!  If you’re interested in learning more about these health benefits or how to make corn silk tea, here are a few articles to consult:  www.stylecraze.com/articles/health-benefits-of-corn-silk-tea and www.healthline.com/nutrition/corn-silk#bottom-line.

Lastly, I want to mention that sweet corn is very easy to freeze so you can savor it during the winter.  I recommend cooking it on the cob and then removing the kernels after cooking.  Simply put it in a freezer bag and pop it into the freezer.  It’s that easy!  Use the corn cobs to make corn stock and you can freeze that as well!

Grilled Corn & Kale Salad

Yield:  2-3 servings

4 cups green curly or lacinato kale, torn into bite-sized pieces (½ bunch)

1 Tbsp olive oil (for massaging the kale)

1 Tbsp vegetable oil (for grilled vegetables)

1 medium zucchini

½ of a medium white or red onion, thinly sliced

2 ears fresh corn, husked

½ cup grape tomatoes, halved or quartered

1 avocado, diced (optional)

½ cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

Dressing:

3 Tbsp olive oil

¼ cup lime juice

2 cloves garlic 

¼ to ½ of a jalapeño, seeds removed

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp cumin

Salt and black pepper, to taste

1. First, preheat your grill or prepare a grill pan if you’re using the stovetop.
2. While the grill is preheating, prepare the kale.  Strip the leaves off the main stem and tear them into bite-sized pieces.  Place kale in a large bowl and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil.  Using your hands, massage the kale to ensure all pieces are thoroughly and lightly coated with oil.  Set aside.
3. Make the dressing.  Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender and pulse until everything is combined.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.  Pour about half the dressing over the kale and toss to combine.
4. Prepare the zucchini and corn for grilling.  Slice zucchini into ¼ inch slices.  Brush each side with a little vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper.  Brush the ears of corn with vegetable oil as well, and season with salt and pepper.  Lay both vegetables on the grill and grill for 5-7 minutes on each side, or as needed to get nice grill marks and cook the vegetables until tender.  Remove from grill and set aside to cool slightly.
5. Once the vegetables are cooled enough to handle, cut the zucchini into small diced pieces.  Using a paring knife, cut the corn kernels off the cob of corn.  Add both zucchini and corn kernels to the kale along with the onion and tomatoes.  Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.  Add more dressing as needed to nicely coat all the vegetables.  You may choose not to use all the dressing.
6. Allow the salad to rest for at least 10-15 minutes before serving.  This salad is durable enough to be made in advance and served the next day, in fact the flavors and texture are actually a bit improved!  Top each portion with toasted pumpkin seeds and avocado if desired.

This recipe was adapted slightly from an original recipe published on www.thealmondeater.com.  This is a great “make in advance” salad to take with you on a picnic or pack for a portable lunch!

Sweet Corn Pancakes

Yield:  About 9-10 4-inch pancakes

2 Tbsp butter, plus additional for the pan or griddle

1 cup fresh corn kernels (cut from 1-2 ears of corn)

⅛ tsp salt

1 large egg

1 ¼ cups buttermilk

¼ tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp sugar

¾ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup cornmeal (finely ground)

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1. Melt butter in a large skillet or on a griddle pan over medium heat.  Add the corn and saute for 4-5 minutes, until it begins to brown ever-so-slightly.  Season with salt and transfer to another bowl to cool slightly.  Wipe out the skillet so you can use it to make the pancakes.
2. Lightly beat the egg in a large mixing bowl, then whisk in buttermilk, vanilla and sugar.  In a smaller bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and baking soda.  Stir dry ingredients into the egg and buttermilk mixture, mixing just until combined but still a little lumpy in appearance.  Fold in the sweet corn.
3. Reheat your skillet or griddle pan over medium heat.  Brush the pan with butter and ladle ¼ cup batter at a time, keeping pancakes spaced so they don’t run together.  When the pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around the edges, flip them over and cook them until golden brown on the other side.  If they seem to be cooking too quickly (dark on the outside, but still raw in the center), turn the heat down slightly for the next batch.  Brush the pan with butter in between each patch and continue until all the batter is gone.  If you aren’t serving and eating them right out of the pan, place the cooked pancakes on a baking rack on a sheet tray and hold them in the oven turned on to low (150-180°F) until you’re ready to serve them.
4. Serve warm with butter, fresh fruit and warm maple syrup.

Recipe sourced from www.smittenkitchen.com, with slight adaptations made by Chef Andrea.

August 9, 2018 - This Week's Box Contents, Featuring Sweet Corn

Cooking With This Week's Box:

This Week’s Summary of Recipes and the Vegetables They Utilize:

Zucchini or Yellow Summer Squash: Vegetable Kabobs; Zucchini Breakfast Cookies

Cucumbers: Easy Greek Salad

White Spanish Onions: Corn & Tomato Salad with Torn Croutons (see below); Vegetable Kabobs

Missouri Garlic: Greek Chicken Marinated Chicken; Cashew Curry

Red Grape Tomatoes: Vegetable Kabobs; Easy Greek Salad

Carrots: Roasted Carrot Hummus

Broccoli OR Cauliflower: One-Pan Cauliflower Mac & Cheese; Cashew Curry

Italian Frying Peppers and/or Green Bell Peppers: Vegetable Kabobs

Jalapeño Peppers: Jalapeño Popper Cornbread Muffins

Sun Jewel Melons or Sweet Sarah Cantaloupe: Melon Prosciutto Skewers; Melon Sorbet

French Orange Melon: Melon Prosciutto Skewers; Melon Sorbet

 

Sweet Corn: Corn & Tomato Salad with Torn Croutons (see below); Jalapeño Popper Cornbread Muffins

Variety of Tomatoes: Corn & Tomato Salad with Torn Croutons (see below); Easy Greek Salad

Green Beans: Cashew Curry

Can you believe this week marks the halfway point in our CSA season?  This week we’re packing box #15 of our 30 week season.  Yesterday Jose Antonio asked me if I’d taken a look at the winter squash field recently.  His observation was they look like they’re almost ready to harvest!  Yes, the reality that fall is just around the corner is very present in our minds, but we can’t dwell on that thought too long because we still have a lot of summer distractions.  So let's focus on some of those delicious summer distractions this week starting with Sweet Corn!  This is a bountiful week for sweet corn and it is delicious!  This week we’re picking a new variety called Kickoff that is proving to be quite tasty.  I hope you’ll agree.  Of course you may choose to just boil or grill your corn on the cob, slather it with butter and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.  You can’t go wrong with this and often that’s the way we eat it.  But you don’t have to eat corn on the cob.  It’s a great addition to other dishes including salads such as the Corn & Tomato Salad with Torn Croutons that we’ve featured in this week’s newsletter (see below).  This is a recipe from Chef Joshua McFadden’s book, Six Seasons, A new way with vegetables.  It’s a simple salad combining fresh corn cut right off the cob combined with onions, tomatoes, a light vinaigrette and rustic croutons.  A great salad to serve alongside a grilled steak for dinner.

Vegetable Kabobs
Photo from damndelicious

It’s been quite awhile since I’ve made kabobs, so this week I found this recipe for Vegetable Kabobs that will make good use of the zucchini, white Spanish onions, green bell or Italian frying peppers and red grape tomatoes.  This recipe calls for roasting the kabobs in the oven, but you could also grill them if you prefer.  Serve this with a simple rice pilaf and you are set for dinner.  If you have some zucchini left over, use it to make these simple, yet tasty Zucchini Breakfast Cookies.  I made them last week for our market crew snack and they were a hit.  I  didn’t have any chocolate chips so I substituted raisins instead.  They are great for a quick breakfast to go or as a snack.  I had intended to make zucchini bread, but didn’t have a lot of time.  These came together really quickly and only took about 10 minutes to bake.  Super easy.

What are you going to do with those little jalapeño peppers this week?  If they don’t end up in a bowl of fresh salsa, use them to make these Jalapeño Popper Cornbread Muffins.  If you have a little extra fresh corn you could even add some fresh kernels to the batter to jazz it up a bit.  Serve them for breakfast with scrambled eggs or as a side for dinner.

Now that we have tomatoes in the box, it’s time to pair them together with the cucumbers to make this Easy Greek Salad.  You can use your grape tomatoes or just cut up some of the larger variety of tomatoes in this week’s box.  Serve it with Greek Chicken Marinated Chicken.  If you have any leftover chicken and salad, mix the two together and put it in a pita pocket for lunch the next day.

Melon Prosciutto Skewers
Picture from delish

The French Orange melons are decadent and delicious all on their own.  I seldom recommend doing anything other than just eating them as they are.  However, this recipe for Melon Prosciutto Skewers would be a great way to use either the French orange melon or the sweet Sarah melon.  I also found this recipe for Melon Sorbet.  It calls for using a charentais melon, which is similar to the French Orange melon, but you can make this delicious treat using any melon including the Sweet Sarah cantaloupe or sun jewel melon.

I want to do something different with carrots this week and thought this recipe for Roasted Carrot Hummus would be a great way to use this week’s sweet carrots.  Roasting the carrots will enhance the sweetness and flavors of the carrots.  You can use this hummus as a snack or eat it for lunch with pita bread and fresh vegetables or turn it into a pita sandwich or wrap.  Use the hummus as the spread and add chunks of fresh cucumbers and tomatoes.  This might be a winner with kids too, making it a potential school lunch option and a great way to include vegetables in their day!

This week’s boxes will contain either broccoli or cauliflower, and thankfully both pair well with cheese!  I’ve been hungry for mac & cheese lately, but I like this simple recipe for One-Pan Cauliflower Mac & Cheese that doesn’t even contain pasta.  While the recipe calls for cauliflower, you could easily substitute broccoli.  You could also use the broccoli or cauliflower along with this week’s green beans to make Heidi Swanson’s Cashew Curry recipe.  This recipe includes tofu as the protein, which could be substituted with chicken if you don’t care for tofu.

Ok friends, we’ve reached the bottom of another box.  We have more delicious summer vegetables to send your way over the next few weeks.  Edamame should be ready for next week’s boxes and we’re hoping to include tomatillos and poblano peppers very soon.  The mini-sweet peppers should be ready for picking very soon as well and we have a cool, new Chinese hot pepper we’re anxious to try....it’s purple!  Have a great week, enjoy cooking and I’ll see you back next week.—Chef Andrea 

Featured Vegetable: Sweet Corn

There’s always some excitement around sweet corn, after all it is a classic summer vegetable loved by most!  Farmer Richard enjoys the challenge of growing “the best” sweet corn, a delicate balance between choosing a variety with good genetics, one that will perform under challenging field conditions, and one with good corn flavor and just the right balance of sweetness and tenderness.  No small task!

As for eating sweet corn, it’s important to keep sweet corn cold.  After the corn is picked, sugars will start to convert to starch.  Keeping corn cold will slow this process down, preserve the quality and sweetness and give you a few more days to enjoy it.  One of the qualities Richard looks for in a sweet corn variety is the rate of conversion of sugars to starch.   We choose ones that have been developed to have a slower conversion rate, which gives you more time to eat and enjoy the corn before it becomes starchy and compromised.  Despite the fact that you see people selling and transporting corn out of the back of a pickup truck, this is not the best tactic.  We take ice to the field when we harvest it, ice it again when it comes in and store it in the cooler until we pack it and load it on a refrigerated truck.  We do what we can to grow the tastiest corn for you, but you need to do your part too!  Take a cooler with you when you pick up your box, store it in the refrigerator and eat it within a few days.  If you have limited refrigerator space, husk the corn and put it in a plastic bag before refrigerating it.

While eating it off the cob is a special summer treat, fresh corn can be enjoyed in so many other ways.  Cut it off the cob and add it to summer vegetable salads, salsas, or relishes.  Stir fresh corn kernels into cornbread batter, make fritters or sweet corn pancakes.   It’s also good in summer vegetable chowders and light soups.  If you cut the corn off the cob, don’t discard the cob.  Add it to soups or stock where it will impart a delicious corn flavor.

Corn pairs well with a lot of other ingredients including summer vegetables such as green beans, tomatoes, edamame, onions, and peppers.  It also plays well with butter, cream and cheese such as Monterey Jack, Parmesan and feta.  As for herbs, corn dishes pair well with cilantro, basil, mint and thyme to name a few. 

If you’d like to preserve sweet corn, it’s a little messy but overall pretty easy to do.  First you remove the husk and silks.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt the water.  Cook the ears of corn just until you see the color of the kernels change to a bright yellow.  Remove the corn from the boiling water and put it in a pan or sink of clean water with ice in it.  Put the corn in the ice water to stop the cooking process.  Once cooled, stand the ear of corn upright on the wide base of the ear on a cutting board.  Cut the corn off the cob by running the paring knife down the ear.  Try to cut as close to the ear as possible to avoid wasting any of the good corn or the juice! You can also run the back of a knife on the cob to get all the good corn juice.  Once the corn is cut off the ear, just spoon it into a freezer bag, close the bag and freeze the corn.  You’ll be glad you did this when you are pulling frozen corn out in January to make a delicious corn chowder!

Corn and Tomato Salad with Torn Croutons

Yield: 4 servings

Kernels cut from 3 ears sweet corn, plus the milky pulp scraped from the cob (about 2 cups total)

1 lb tomatoes (all shapes and colors) cored and cut into wedges or chunks, or whatever looks pretty

1 medium white Spanish onion, sliced thinly

¼ cup red wine vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups torn croutons (see recipe below)

½ cup pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped

½ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1 handful basil leaves

1 handful mint leaves

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste

1. Put the corn, tomatoes, and onions in a large bowl.  Add the vinegar and toss gently to mix.  Season generously with salt and pepper and toss.  Taste and adjust the seasoning so the salad is nicely bright.
2. Add the croutons, pistachios, pecorino, basil, and mint and toss again.  Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.  Moisten with ⅓ cup olive oil and toss again.  Taste and adjust.  Serve lightly chilled or at a little cooler than room temperature.

Torn Croutons

Yield: about 2 cups

2 large, thick slices country loaf (about 4oz)

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Heat the oven to 400°F.
2. Tear the bread, crust and all, into bite-size pieces.  Toss the torn bread with the olive oil and a light sprinkling of salt and pepper.
3. Spread the croutons on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake until golden brown, checking every 4 to 5 minutes and moving the outside croutons to the center of the pan so they cook evenly.  Don’t let them get rock hard; leave a little bit of chew in the center.  The total baking time will depend on the type and density of bread you’re using, but most likely will be 10 to 20 minutes.
4. Slide onto paper towels to absorb any extra oil and season again lightly with salt and pepper. Store the croutons in an airtight container.  (Be sure to make more than you need for your recipe because you’ll find yourself eating these as a snack.)

These recipes were adapted from Six Seasons, A new way with vegetables by Joshua McFadden with Martha Holmberg.