I love corn. I mean really, REALLY love corn. Off the cob, on the cob, plain, buttered, in a salad or in a soup. I just LOVE corn. As soon as it hits the markets, I’m buy up as much as I can. I eat my fill during the season but the cravings start in early winter. Luckily, I freeze several quarts and put up jars of corn salsa to keep me satisfied until the following summer.
I read somewhere that apricots are one of the only fruits that improve in flavor through cooking. I never want to believe such a thing could be true. All winter I indulge on dried apricots and apricot preserves, savoring each bite. When apricot season finally rolls around, after almost months of strawberries and a brief flirtation with cherries, I gladly shell out the $4 a pound for the petite fruit, rushing home like a child to enjoy my treasure.
The thing about apricots is they’re so small. Where as one peach may keep me satisfied, I need 3-4 apricots to do the same. I break open the first fruit, discard the pit and bite. Hmm, a little squishy–I must have picked an over ripe one. The next, firm but flavorless, another dud. After 3 or 4 apricots, I start to realize that cooking fact might have some weight to it. I’ve never enjoyed apricots fresh from the tree, but even the best looking specimens brought home from the greenmarkets never seem to achieve the flavor I expect compared to the jams, pies and crisps.
Just because it’s 100 degrees out right now is no reason to cut soups out of your diet. Chilled soups are incredibly satisfying. They pack a full meal of nutrients and taste in a tiny little bowl, plus is a meal guaranteed to cool you down. Most recipes with fresh peas are generally have the word “spring” in their titles, however I never seem to be able to find them at the market until late June. To me, once the thermometer hits a consistent 80°F plus, we’re in full on summer.
I’ve spent so much time lately putting up cherries, I haven’t actually been able to enjoy that many right now. Well, of course as I’m pitting bowls of them I need to quality check them. One out of every 10 cherries is pretty fair. Cherry season is a part of the summer I look forward to most but this year it’s been cut short. Extra curricular activities and weekend plans has allowed me to visit my favorite greenmarkets much less frequently than I would like. Here’s hoping there are still some left next weekend.
While I have them, garlic scapes are showing up in everything, from my morning eggs, to my afternoon grilled veggie sandwich and especially dinner. Last year was all about the purees, mostly pesto and dips. This year, we roast. After discovering how garlic scapes transform from pungent, almost spicy garlic to a sweet and crunchy when they come in contact with a bit of oil, I was sold. For the most part I’ve been sauteing or roasting scapes and adding them to a dish. Stirring them into salads, topping burgers with them or mixing them into an omelet last-minute. However this time I was excited to cook with, not side by side.
Brooklyn Locavore 