Market Report: Summer’s OGs are here
Putting all that sweet corn, basil and tomatoes to work on your table
Thanks to sponsor Stuart & Branigin for continued support of the Based in Lafayette reporting project.
Based in Lafayette still is on some scheduled downtime. But what’s a summer week without a look at what’s in season at Greater Lafayette’s farmers markets? That said, here’s …
By Carol Bangert / For Based in Lafayette
It’s late July and the OGs of summer have settled in at our farmers markets. Tomatoes, basil, sweet corn and green beans are flexing their muscles, and why not? There’s nothing better than these summer staples for two reasons: you can’t get these peak-season flavors any other time of year; and each invites you to try them in myriad ways.
As a fellow Hoosier, I don’t need to explain how to cook or use this produce. So, in this Market Report, I’m going to share a few of my go-to recipes as well as storage tips. Let’s start with tomatoes.
A good problem to have
My father had a garden for many years with a nice variety of produce: asparagus, green peppers, green beans, tomatoes, zucchini and yellow squash. And like many home gardeners, he ended up with a bumper crop of produce, especially tomatoes. Dad was a resourceful guy, and he found some creative ways to use up the crop, such as canning or making sauce. But his favorite recipe to exhaust an abundance of tomatoes was as follows:
Put as many tomatoes as you can fit into a paper bag and close the bag.
Wait until dark, then set the bag on a neighbor’s porch.
Run.
That strategy works, but trust me, after a while it no longer endears you to the neighbors. I’ve grown tomatoes for many years and have dealt with the same happy problem: too many tomatoes for one family to consume. I’ve squirreled away a handful of recipes to handle the issue, and here I’d like to share one of my summer favorites, Toasted Pita Salad. This is a recipe I’ve called on for years, and if I recall, it came from an issue of Cooking Light magazine. It’s also a great way to use up other summer produce and herbs.
Toasted Pita Salad
Start by splitting a couple of pitas horizontally and baking them in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Once cool, break the pita into bite-sized pieces. (Or you can cube sourdough or other hearty bread and bake until lightly toasted.)
Next, whisk in a small bowl:
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1 tsp. cumin
4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp. each salt and pepper
½ tsp. honey
In a large bowl, combine:
3 cups chopped tomatoes
1½ cups English cucumber
¼ cup chopped red onion
¼ cup chopped fresh oregano
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Pour lime juice mixture over tomato mixture and toss. Add pita pieces and toss gently. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature before serving.
Tomatoes can be stored on the counter for short periods, but if you are not using the fruit in a day or two, pop them in the refrigerator. I find the flavor of tomatoes, whether a Roma, beefsteak or bite-sized variety, is best at room temperature.
All about that basil
Basil has a ton of uses, from margarita pizza, in fruit salads, pasta salads, marinara sauces and, as I’ve mentioned previously, muddled in cocktails.
One of my favorite ways to use basil is in pesto. I’ve tried my share of recipes, but this one from Mollie Katzen’s classic “The Enchanted Broccoli Forest,” never lets me down. This recipe is easily customized to your taste.
Basil Pesto
3 cups packed basil leaves, washed and patted dry
3-4 garlic cloves (or to taste)
½ tsp. salt
¾ cup freshly grated parmesan (don’t use the stuff in the green can)
¼ cup ground nuts (my current favs are roasted cashews, but pine nuts are standard)
½ cup good olive oil
Toss everything in a food processor or blender and let ’er rip until it comes together in a paste.
Store in the fridge in an airtight container. It may darken over time, but the flavor holds up. Pesto also freezes well. Enjoy it on pasta, toasted baguette slices, pizza, BLTs, on warm sweet corn – use your imagination!
To store basil, place the stems in a jar of water on the countertop and change the water daily. I never refrigerate basil because it turns brown quickly. If you’ve got batches of basil, blend it with a bit of olive oil and freeze in ice cube trays to preserve the fresh taste for later.
Sweet corn
There really is nothing like the taste of sweet corn fresh from the field, and that’s how growers suggest you use it. “Cook it, ASAP,” suggests Carrie Austin of The Austin Acre. I can’t eat a dozen ears in one sitting, however, but that’s how it’s sold by roadside vendors. Thankfully, many farmers market vendors sell sweet corn by the ear, which is much more manageable if you live alone or in a small family. But if you do have corn to store, the best way is to put the ears – husk and all – in the refrigerator in a sealed bag. Try to use it within a few days.
I buy a couple dozen ears each season. I blanch the ears for a few minutes, and once they’re cool, I cut the kernels from the cob and freeze them. To cut the kernels, I set one end of the cob in the center of a bundt pan and cut down. The kernels land nicely in the pan, making cleanup easy.
Corn lovers have myriad ways of using it in recipes, but buttered ears of corn with some type of seasoning is the signature way to enjoy it in season. Try it with cumin, seasoned salt, Everything Bagel seasoning or make Mexican street corn … the possibilities are mind boggling! As for buttering that corn, a popular method is to butter a slice of bread, then rub the bread across the corn. That keeps the butter where it should be, nestled into all those lovely crevices.
I like to add fresh sweet corn to risotto with shrimp and basil. It’s the main ingredient in Louisiana maque choux, a fabulous way to use summer produce; and you can’t make Korean corn cheese without it! On a whim, I added sweet corn (along with pepper jack cheese and oregano) to a loaf of sourdough I was baking. A great blend of spicy and sweet.
There’s no better time than now to experiment with sweet corn!
Next time: Green beans
Other mid-July fruits and vegetables at the market include:
Red, white and spring onions
Radishes
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Green beans
Beets
Bok choy
Garlic
Greens (kale, mustard, arugula, lettuce varieties -- these may be near the end until another crop is harvested)
Herbs, both plants and cuttings (Chives, spearmint, oregano, sage, basil, parsley, thyme, catnip, lavender)
Carrots
Salad turnips
Potatoes (not much longer)
Zucchini, zucchini blossoms and summer squash
Cherry tomatoes, some heirloom tomatoes
Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries
Cherries, peaches, plums, apricots (from Michigan and Georgia)
DAYS/HOURS FOR THE MARKETS
West Lafayette Farmers Market: 3:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, through October. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the West Lafayette market. The market is held at Cumberland Park in West Lafayette with more than 50 vendors.
Lafayette Farmers Market: 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturdays, through October, on Fifth Street between Columbia Street and mid-block to Ferry Street, and Main Street between Fourth and Sixth streets.
Purdue Farmers Market: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursdays, through October. The Purdue Farmers Market is held on the Memorial Mall on Purdue’s campus. This market is a concession-heavy market that allows students, faculty and staff to have lunch options in a unique outdoor setting.
Carol Bangert, editor of Greater Lafayette Magazine, has been a regular at Greater Lafayette farmers markets for more than 20 years. From May through October, she’ll scout out in-season produce at the markets and report back on fresh finds and how to use them.
Thanks, again, to sponsor Stuart & Branigin for continued support of the Based in Lafayette reporting project.
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Tips, story ideas? I’m at davebangert1@gmail.com.
Yeah! I prefer roasted cashews in my homemade pesto too! Cheaper than pine nuts and a good snack on their own.
The produce reverse burglary is harder to pull off these days with all the cameras 😭