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> Farmer’s Market Feasts

> Tomatoes, Tomatoes

> 7 Ways to Make the Most of

the Farmer’s Market

> Corny Stuff

> Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

> Grilled Corn with Sage Butter

Let’s Go to the Farmer’s MarketQuick Guide:

Quick TipsGrill or roast fresh vegetables. This works with just about everything from the garden or farmer’s market. They can be eaten cold or at room temperature for a day or two after cooking.

Lightly cook chopped tomatoes, garlic, and herbs in olive oil and then toss with pasta. Or don’t cook the tomatoes at all and instead let the hot pasta provide all the heat you need.

If you see heirloom tomatoes, snatch them up. They may look misshapen or lumpy, and won’t be the uniformly rosy red color you are used to, but these guys taste spectacular.

Bring a list to the farmer’s market to avoid over-buying. At the same time, be flexible. If the strawberries don’t look good, buy peaches. If the beans are tired, go for the summer squash.

Fresh eggs from free-range chickens sold at farmer’s markets are so much better tasting than supermarket eggs, you will want to grab them whenever you see them.

Cook corn soon after it’s picked. The corn’s natural sugars start converting to starch the minute it’s harvested and some of the sweetness is lost. The longer the corn sits around, the less sweet it will be.

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Quick Guide: Let’s Go to the Farmer’s Market

Farmer’s Market Feasts

Visit the farmer’s market for good, fresh food and connection to the land.

A handwritten sign tacked to a tree in the country announces “corn, tomatoes, strawberries, peaches,” and the driver’s foot eases off the pedal.

In the city, green markets are places where friends run into friends and where urban dwellers connect to the bounty of the land.

Country or city, these markets display fresh-baked bread and handmade preserves next to goat, cheddar and cottage cheeses, which are alongside corn, radishes, potatoes, zucchini and eggplant. There are numerous varieties of mushrooms, apples and crisp, green lettuces; trays of sprouts and robust kale and chard.

Some markets sell fresh eggs, others offer smoky bacon and sausages. We always buy too much. Temptation always overcomes reason. Thank heavens.

• Grill fresh vegetables or roast them in the oven. They can be eaten cold or at room temperature for a day or two after cooking.

• Cook eggplant, squash, onions, and tomatoes into vegetable stews. These are delicious hot or chilled the next day as a side dish, spooned on grilled bread or used to top sandwiches.

• Lightly cook chopped tomatoes, garlic, and herbs in olive oil and then toss with pasta (don’t stew the tomatoes — cook just until heated through and starting to soften). Ditto for summer squash, mushrooms, corn, and young greens such as

chard and mustard greens.

• Make cheese, mushroom and tomato omelets. Scatter scallions, mushrooms, squash and fresh herbs over eggs for frittatas and delicious scrambled eggs.

• Vegetable chowders, soups and stews freeze beautifully. Fresh tomato sauce can be ladled into serving-sized plastic freezer bags for later use. Slice or chop whole tomatoes and freeze them for use all winter in cooking.

• Toss generous handfuls of fresh herbs into salads, soups, and pasta dishes. Use them in marinades for chicken, lamb, beef, and fish. Don’t hold back! Dry leftover herbs by hanging them in bunches or laying them on a rack. Store them in plastic bags or small containers — always better than storebought!

• Chop tomatoes, onions, and peppers to make your own salsa. Flavor it with cilantro, sold at the farmer’s market, and a splash of vinegar or lime juice.

• Serve farmer’s market cheeses with chunky relishes and chutneys — also sold at the farmer’s market — and freshly baked bread or crispy crackers.

• Indulge in fresh berries, peaches, plums, and apricots scattered over ice cream, angel food cake or vanilla yogurt. Make homemade fruit ice cream.

• Bake simple crisps and crumbles, deep-dish pies and fruit tarts with peaches, nectarines, plums, blackberries, and raspberries.

• Use the crusty bread you bought at the farmer’s market for French toast, served with fresh berries and a drizzle of pure maple syrup. Or slice it to make tomato or egg salad sandwiches.

• Homemade applesauce, poached peaches, and strawberry or raspberry sauce freeze well.

Farmers markets renew and refresh. There are few things that give greater pleasure than shopping at one, carrying our heavy bounty home and transforming it into a beautiful lunch or dinner for friends who will spend the rest of the afternoon or evening with their elbows on the table, blissfully satisfied.

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Quick Guide: Let’s Go to the Farmer’s Market

Take advantage of summer’s most treasured crop

Good news! Tomatoes are in season — or, depending where you live, will be very soon.

Summer’s finest crop is best served raw or minimally cooked. And is best enjoyed as often as possible.

Buy tomatoes as locally as you can, which is not difficult during the summer months when the fruit is at its best. Those in supermarkets never taste as good as the tomatoes sold at farmer’s markets, roadside stands, or picked from your own garden.

Look for firm, heavy tomatoes with just a little give. If you see heirloom varieties, snatch them up. They may look misshapen or lumpy, and won’t be the uniformly rosy red color you are used to, but these guys taste spectacular.

Of course there’s no way of knowing, but chances are the heirlooms taste close to how tomatoes did a century ago. With demand for tomatoes so high, many large-scale producers have bred the flavor and texture right out them. Thankfully, small farmers are bringing back old-time varieties with good success.

The best are plucked from the vine ready to eat. Tomatoes do not travel well, and so those sold other times of year are shipped while still firm and gas-ripened. The process, while harmless, results in bland tomatoes with sorry-looking pink flesh and a mealy texture.

Locally grown and harvested tomatoes, kissed by the sun, are dark red or deep yellow — although some are striped, some are green — all the way through and their flavor and texture is fresh, sweet and juicy. For many of us, nothing is better!

Tomatoes at Home Allow firm tomatoes to sit on a sunny windowsill for a day or two to fully ripen. Otherwise, store ripe tomatoes at room temperature (not in the refrigerator, where their flavor will diminish) for a few days. Refrigerate cut tomatoes.

Serve tomatoes sliced and sprinkled with a little salt. Or, serve sliced tomatoes with fresh, high-quality mozzarella cheese, fresh basil leaves, a drizzle of olive oil, and salt and pepper.

Raw tomatoes are great in sandwiches or salads. In fact, one of the best summer sandwiches is a tomato sandwich: nothing but sliced tomatoes on good bread or toast with a smear of mayonnaise, a sprinkle of salt and perhaps a few just-picked leaves of basil.

Pasta loves chopped tomatoes that are allowed to mingle with torn or chopped fresh herbs, minced garlic, and a little olive oil. Toss the hot noodles with the uncooked sauce. Wow!

Fresh, chopped tomatoes are wonderful in salsas and fresh relishes. Try them on large rounds of garlic toast for classic brushetta — a meal in itself or a great hors d’oeuvre.

Breakfast, Lunch and DinnerTomatoes are one of those special crops that, while short lived, rarely disappoint when in season. Tomato lovers eat them for breakfast (try them lightly grilled and served alongside eggs), lunch (think sandwiches, sandwiches!), and for dinner (how about salads and fresh pasta sauces).

Enjoy this simple summer pleasure. Sad to say, but fall will be here soon enough and the tomatoes just won’t be as good as they are now!

Tomatoes, Tomatoes

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Quick Guide: Let’s Go to the Farmer’s Market

7 Ways to Make the Most of theFarmer’s Market

Take advantage of these markets to augment what you harvest from your own garden

Farmer’s markets pop up in nearly every community and lure home cooks with promises of fresh food at reasonable prices. We also like to patronize them because we know it’s a good idea to support our local farmers and to buy locally whenever we can.

Whether you are a veteran farmer’s market shopper or a novice, we have seven tips that will make the experience even more enjoyable than it already is.

Plan your meals — and be flexible: How many times have you overbought at a farmer’s market? It’s a great temptation: everything looks so fresh and bursting with flavor! To avoid this, plan a few meals and buy with them in mind. Bring a list. At the same time, be flexible. If the strawberries don’t look good, buy peaches. If the beans are tired, go for the summer squash.

Go early: Farmers can only haul so much produce and other items to a market and often the best of the lot is sold out early. On the other hand, if you want deals, go late in the day when the farmers are trying to unload what they have not sold.

Walk through the entire market before you buy: Take time to enjoy the visual and aromatic attractions of the market. Stroll among the stalls and see who is selling what. Don’t buy a thing until you do. This will enable you to select the best there.

Ask questions: Farmers are usually pleased to discuss their growing practices, when the produce was picked, their favorite ways to prepare it, and what they will have for sale next week or next month depending on what is ripening in the fields. Take time to chat and find out what you can. If it’s important to you to “buy local,” it’s helpful to know where the farm is.

Think beyond vegetables and fruit: Many vendors at farmer’s markets sell far more than vegetables and fruit. Nowadays, they are likely to offer free-range chickens, grass-fed beef and lamb, homemade pork sausages, cheese, and raw milk (if allowed to be sold in your state). Fresh eggs from free-range chickens are so much better tasting than others, you will want to grab them everytime you see them. Some have pastel colored shells, which look pretty.

Don’t assume everything is organic: Many small farmers cannot afford the fees necessary to be certified organic. If you talk to them about their growing practices, you will be assured most are honest and do their best to grow the food responsibly. Many are organic regardless of certificates; others grow their crops sustainably. They will appreciate your interest.

Bring bags and change: Help out by bringing your own sturdy canvas or paper bags. The farmers will thank you and your purchases will be safe. Most farmer’s markets don’t accept credit cards; cash only. Be sure to have small bills and some change to help out.

Enjoy the bounty of the summer. You will never be sorry you took the time to visit the farmer’s market. In fact, you will look forward to it every week!

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Quick Guide: Let’s Go to the Farmer’s Market

Corny Stuff

Fresh sweet corn is one of the joys of summer

Everyone knows that corn and tomatoes are two of summer’s culinary treasures — at least if you live in a temperate climate where neither is the least bit promising other times of year.

Stop by any farm stand, farmer’s market, or greengrocer. Chances are you will see signs advertising local corn: “just picked!” “fresh from the farm!”

If you’re lucky, your local supermarket will carry overflowing baskets of local corn bought from nearby farmers.

Without question, corn is at its very best when it’s picked and eaten on the same day. The frozen and canned products available other times of year are very good — but they’re not really in the same league.

While new strains of sweet corn stand up to shipping very well so that you can get good tasting corn from other parts of the country much of the year, don’t be lulled into thinking these varieties are “just as good” as local corn. They are not! When local, just-picked corn is available — go for it!

Campfire FoodCorn lovers debate the best methods for cooking corn. It can be boiled, roasted, grilled, or, if very fresh, eaten raw.

Some swear that it should only get a brief, gentle boil. Purists suggest that if you have rows of corn growing in your garden, you should not pick the ears until you put the water on to boil.

Others like to keep corn in the husks and grill or roast it. The best way to do this is to pull the husks back from the ears without detaching them so that you can remove and discard the silk. Wrap the leaves back up around the corn and then lay it on the grill or put it in the oven. You might want to smear a little butter or salt and pepper on the corn before you replace the outer husks.

It’s always a good idea to cook corn the same day it’s picked. As soon as the ears separate from the corn stalks their natural sugars start converting to starch and so some of the sweetness is lost. The longer the corn sits around once it’s harvested, the less sweet it will be. When you get home from the farmer’s market, store the corn in its husks in a cool, dark corner of the kitchen, away from direct sunlight. Shuck it right before cooking.

Eating corn on the cob is a summertime ritual. Most folks slather it with sweet butter and salt. Others forgo both and prefer a sprinkling of pepper. Or, if the corn is fresh as can be, nothing at all.

There also are corn puddings, corn cakes, corn chowders, and corn relishes. But we’ll discuss them another day.

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Quick Guide: Let’s Go to the Farmer’s Market

Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

1. Core the tomatoes and chop them into ½-inch chunks. Transfer to a bowl and add the basil and garlic. Stir gently to mix. Add the olive oil and stir to coat. Set aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

2. In a large saucepan of lightly salted, boiling water, cook the pasta for 10 to 12 minutes or until al dente (check the package directions for more exact time). Reserve about ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and immediately return it to the still-warm pan.

3. Stir the tomatoes, basil, garlic and olive oil into the hot pasta. Put the lid on the pan and let the mixture sit for 1 minute to give the tomatoes time to heat up. Toss gently, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately, with or without Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Serves 4 to 6

2 pounds fresh tomatoes

2 bunches fresh basil, leave torn

1 large clove garlic, minced

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound corkscrew or penne pasta

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling, optional

In a matter of minutes you can put a super delicious meal on the table bursting with great flavor and fresh goodness. Use the best tomatoes you can find — and re-member, they are “cooked” by the hot, just-drained pas-

ta. How easy is that?

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Quick Guide: Let’s Go to the Farmer’s Market

Grilled Corn with Sage Butter

1. Pull the husks from the corn without detaching it at the bottom of the ear. Remove and discard the silk.

2. In a small bowl, mix the butter with the sage. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread the butter over the corn kernels and then pull the husks up and over the ears of corn.

3. Prepare a gas or charcoal grill so that the heat is medium-hot to hot. Lay the corn on the grilling rack, cover the grill (or not — covering the grill is not too important as the husks insulate the corn) and cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until the corn is tender and even slightly charred.

3. Serve in husks to keep hot.

Note: If space is a premium on the grill, the corn can be cooked directly on the coals.

Serves 6 to 8

8 ears fresh corn

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

Salt and freshly ground pepper

When the grill is fired up for a summertime meal, why not toss some fresh corn on it? The smoky heat cooks the ears of corn, still in their husks, to tantalizing perfec-tion. If you prefer another herb, substitute thyme, rose-

mary, or cilantro for the sage. All good!