7 Items to Pick Up at the Market Now

The end of summer is quickly approaching -- now's the time to get in all of the summer bounty you can before it’s gone! Head to your local farmers market and stock up on these 7 summer treats. It wouldn't hurt to brush up on your fun produce facts either; you probably have another BBQ or two to attend, and trust us, everyone is tired of talking about the weather.

1. Eggplant 
At the market, select eggplants that feel light in your hand -- heavier ones are more likely to have overly-developed seeds. 

Cook: Italian Pickled Eggplant, Yotam Ottolenghi's Sweet Corn Polenta with Eggplant Sauce, or Eggplant Parmesan.

2. Corn
Did you know that every kernel on an ear of corn gets pollinated separately? So some kernels can get passed over if the wind, rain, or plant location aren’t just right. (Don’t worry, we’ve got tips for choosing perfect ears, no peeking required.)

Cook: Summer Corn Cakes, Grilled Corn with Basil Butter, or Amagansett Corn Salad.

3. Okra
If you’re squeamish about slime, it’s best to cut the okra as little as possible.

Cook: Grilled Okra with Sriracha Lime Salt, Burnt Okra with Sauteed Potatoes and Basil, or Spicy Oven Roasted Okra.

4. Tomatoes
You probably already know that tomatoes are fruit -- botanically speaking at least. Legally though, they’re vegetables, thanks to a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court in 1893 designed to keep tariff laws in order. 

Cook: Heirloom Tomato and Lemon Mascarpone Tart, Brown Butter Tomatoes, or Sarah Leah Chase's Scalloped Tomatoes.

5. Stone Fruits: Peaches, Plums, & Nectarines 
Stone fruits are either freestone or clingstone, and those names pretty much say it all. The flesh in clingstone varieties cling to the stone (pit), while the flesh in freestone varieties easily separate from the stone.  

Cook: Chilled Tomato Peach Soup, Late Summer Plum Cake, or Tomato, Nectarine and Mozzarella Salad.

 

6. Summer Squash
Ready to really take it up a notch at your next social gathering? Start telling people that summer squash are just like dogs. You can either walk away and leave them to question your sanity, or you can go on to explain that like dogs, they can reproduce between varieties in the same species (but not the same family -- you can’t cross a zucchini with a watermelon). Don’t even get us started on hand-pollination.

Cook: Tuscan Grilled Zucchini & Summer Squash, Zucchini-Lemon Cookies, or Zucchini Crumble.

7. Melons
A spoonful of cantaloupe seeds might not sound all that appealing, but they don’t need to be relegated to the compost bin. All melon seeds are edible -- try roasting them just like pumpkin seeds and enjoy them as a snack.

Cook: Summer Melon Salad with Harissa, Feta, and Mint, Watermelon Paloma, or Quick-Pickled Cucumber-Melon Salad.

Photos by James Ransom