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Heirloom tomatoes are now at the farmers’ market. Nunez Farm has luscious organic heirloom tomatoes of all sizes and colors. Heirloom tomatoes have a fantastic flavor and juicy texture that adds so much to summer meals. Some varieties have been handed down through the years and cultivated for over 100 years. They are “open pollinated” tomatoes as opposed to today’s hybrids.
Each variety is truly unique, exhibiting a special taste, color, texture or shape. They are ideally suited to being grown by the small farmer living close to their end market. Many varieties do not travel well because of their thin skins and have a shorter shelf life than conventional tomatoes. Types include Brandywine (pinkish red), Cherokee Purple (deep reddish-purple), Green Zebra (striped light and dark green), Jubilee (yellow), and German Green (green and red). In addition to the old-time varieties, a growing number of new varieties are being developed by plant breeders. These new varieties are aimed at the home and market grower, and they too are included in the inclusive term “heirloom.”
Taste is the main factor for purchasing heirlooms. They are not always pretty tomatoes, have unique form and shape, but the taste will win you over. Slice thick and place on a platter with a little mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, salt and pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil for the classic “Caprese” salad. Cut in half and place directly on the grill or in the broiler for a real treat. Or try this heirloom tomato gratin for a very delicious side dish. Enjoy!
 Heirloom Tomato and Onion Gratin
1 garlic clove, cut in half
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
3 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
4 pounds mixed heirloom tomatoes, thickly sliced
Salt and pepper
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
Heat oven to 425°F. Vigorously rub the side of the baking dish w/ garlic, discard. Brush gratin or shallow baking dish with 1 tablespoon oil to coat. Heat1-1/2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook 15 minutes, stirring often, just until translucent and tender, but not browned. Remove from heat, stir in orange zest, orange juice, honey and 1-1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme.
Scatter half over the bottom of the gratin dish, top with half the tomatoes and season with half of the salt and pepper. Top with remaining onion mixture, salt and pepper, and tomatoes. Mix bread crumbs, cheese, and remaining oil and thyme until crumbs are evenly moistened, sprinkle over tomatoes. Bake 20-24 minutes until crumbs are golden and juices bubble. Serve warm or cold.
Boy-O, Boy-O Boy! Shopping for your fruits and veggies at the Pacific Coast
Farmer’s Market on Main Street on Thursday is always lots of fun because the choices you can make will be so many! This is a super season to fill up on the fresh produce brought to us from nearby farms. Even though a scenic trip through the neighboring San Joaquin Valley would be fun, it’s really great to just stroll downtown and buy your fruits and veggies right from the farmer who grew them.
J & J Ramos Farms from Hughson will be offering freshly picked white and yellow peaches, white and yellow nectarines, plums, apricots, pluots (plum and apricot hybrids) cherries and tomatoes. Plan your menus to include them in salads and desserts as well as in sauces for your meats and poultry during this warm season when appetites need a little inspiration.
Ordinary salads of greens or fruits present a more important offering when they are “dressed” well. Here are a couple of nice and simple-to-make dressings that will sparkle up some of your combinations.
Tangy-Twangy Herb Dressing
1 c. mayonnaise
2 T. lemon juice
1 sliced green onion
1 T. milk
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
½ t. dried basil
In a bowl, stir together all the ingredients. Cover and chill. This mixture will keep in a tightly covered container in the fridge for at least a week – and it will be in demand, you’ll see.
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Poppy Seed Fruit Dressing
½ c. mayonnaise
½ c. sour cream
1 T. honey
1 t. poppy seed
½ t. orange zest
2 – 3 T. orange juice
Mix and spoon over cut-up fresh fruit. Makes about 1 ¼ c. dressing.
Trivia Note: Poppy seeds are so tiny that it takes about 900,000 of them to make a pound
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But – if you would rather not spend any time in the kitchen, consider the Five Cousins from Portugal and their offerings of ready made mild and hot sandwiches including their delicious home-made linguica. Go ahead and treat yourself to a super dinner sandwich and a cold drink you can take poolside or out on the back porch and enjoy the ambiance of a lazy summer meal.
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My Own Submarines
8 hard rolls cut horizontally into thirds
Soft butter or margarine
8 slices salami or ham
8 slices mozzarella cheese
8 sliced cooked turkey or chicken
4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
Heat over 425 degrees. Spread all cut surfaces of the rolls with butter. Place salami slice on bottom section of each roll and top with cheese slice. Add second section of roll and top with turkey slice and blue cheese. Top with third section of roll, wrap each sandwich in aluminum foil and heat 15 – 20 minutes.
- The late food authority and writer Waverley Root observed that the type of fat in which food is cooked defines regional cuisine far more than any other ingredient used in a dish.
- Some of the best food in the world comes from olive-growing regions—consider Provence in France, southern Italy, the Catalan section of Spain, and parts of Greece, the Middle East, and California.
- During his extensive travels, Thomas Jefferson was so enamored with the taste of olive oil that he tried—unsuccessfully—to cultivate olive trees at his home in Virginia. Fortunately the Franciscans had better luck when they planted mission-variety olive trees in California.
- California dominates the domestic olive oil industry, producing 850,000 gallons (worth about $17 million) in the 2009-2010 season.
- There are 3 basic types of olive oil. From mildest flavor to most robust, those grades are pure, virgin, and extra virgin. Extra virgin oil comes from the first cold-pressing of olives. Cold-pressing preserves aromatic compounds and higher levels of antioxidants; and produces an oil that is relatively low in acid. (Pale-colored “lite” olive oil is not even a category—it is merely a way to sell flavorless, often chemically rectified oil. Contrary to what producers might have you believe, it is not lower in fat or calories.)
- When it comes to fats, olive oil is considered a healthy choice thought to lower the risk of heart disease.
- Most olive trees bear fruit only after 3 or 4 years.They reach full maturity at 8 to 10 years, and can continue to produce olives for centuries. (Yes, centuries.) Different varieties of olives ripen at different times.
- Olive Arithmetic: It takes between 325 and 500 olives to yield 1 cup of oil.
- One tablespoon of olive oil contains119 calories, no carbohydrates, and about 13.5g fat. An opened bottle of olive oil can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months.
- 10. Both here and abroad, high-quality olive oil is expensive to produce; and added freight costs make it even more so. When a producer sells olive oil directly to consumers at the farmers’ market, the “middle man,” has been eliminated and you are ensured the best price for a superior California oil.
Harry Truman said it best, and I follow his advice to this day: I can’t stand the heat, so I stay out of the kitchen. Okay, so I go there periodically throughout the day to fill my water bottle, and of course to do some minor food prep for meals. But when the temperature rises, cooking is done outdoors or not at all. As far as I am concerned, my ovens take a vacation in August. With so many locally grown fruits and vegetables at their peak of perfection this month, however, none of my guests seem to notice.
Who could complain about a bowl of perfectly ripe raspberries, or a slab of juicy watermelon? Locally grown strawberries, plums, and grapes are as sweet as candy. What possible adornment could improve upon a fragrant, tree-ripened peach or nectarine? Veggies like organically-grown tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, multi-color bell peppers, tender young green beans, and summer squash are often best after little or no cooking, with nothing more than a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Just a few minutes on the grill makes summer’s sweet corn the thing dreams are made of.
Thank thrifty Italians for this ingenious way of pairing summer vegetables with good, crusty bread that has gone stale. Panzanella is ideal for entertaining and potlucks this month, since it doesn’t require an oven and actually benefits from being made in advance. When tossed together, the vegetable juices blend with the fruity olive oil dressing and soften the chunks of dry bread. (In fact, in the Tuscan dialect panzanella translates to “little swamp”—a fitting description of the juice-soaked bread.)
Serve this as a light meal on a hot day, or as a side dish with grilled foods. And don’t skimp on the quality of the ingredients—especially the olive oil. Only the best will do. Fortunately everything is available at the August farmers’ market.
Farmers’ Market Panzanella
(Italian Bread Salad)
When I lack the foresight to reserve bread for making this, I simply start with a fresh loaf. Cut the bread into thick slices and grill over indirect heat, turning several times, until well toasted but not necessarily charred, 5 to 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, tear or cut into bite-size chunks.
2 tablespoons California red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, crushed through a press
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup California extra virgin olive oil
2 or 3 large vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into 3/4-inch dice, juices reserved
3/4 pound of 1- or 2-day-old Tuscan-style bread, torn into bite-size pieces or cut into 3/4-inch chunks (about 6 cups)
1 medium farm-fresh cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded if desired, and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
About 10 large fresh basil leaves, shredded or coarsely chopped*
In a large serving bowl, combine the vinegar, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Mix in the olive oil. Gently stir in the tomatoes and their juices. Add the bread, cucumber, onion, and basil. Toss gently to moisten the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at cool room temperature for at least 30 minutes or as long as 2 hours to blend flavors. Bread will soften as it absorbs the dressing and vegetable juices. Taste, adding more salt and pepper if needed. Serves 4 to 6.
* For variation, substitute arugula, mint, or flat-leaf parsley for the basil.
There’s nothing better than sitting down to a big crisp ear of sweet summer corn on the cob, dripping with butter. Grilled or boiled, corn on the cob is a real treat that’s hard to top for flavor, freshness, and just plain delicious fun. Corn is now available at your local farmers’ market June through most of October. G&S Farms brings the famous sweet Brentwood corn to market. And our Hmong growers, Yia Moua Farms and Franklin Thor Farms, have an Asian favorite called “sticky” corn or waxy corn.
Corn has a long and varied history and it wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for humans who developed it. Corn as we know it does not grow in the wild. It was developed from a grass called teosinte. (Most people think of corn as a vegetable, but it’s really a grain). Scientists believe that corn was developed by the native peoples living in central Mexico over 7000 years ago. Also known as maize, the natives throughout North and South America, eventually depended on maize for most of their diet. Corn spread throughout the Americas and was discovered by explorers from Europe who had never seen corn. There are numerous varieties of corn nowadays, but here are a few varieties:
Flint corn, also known as Indian corn, has a hard outer shell and kernels with a range of colors from white to red. Today, most flint corn is grown in Central and South America.
Dent corn, often called “field corn” is often used as livestock feed. It is also the main kind of corn used when making industrial products and various foods. It can be either white or yellow.
Sweet corn is often eaten on the cob or it can be canned or frozen. Sweet corn is seldom processed into feed or flour. Sweet corn gets its name because it contains more sugar than other types of corn.
 “Sticky” corn: Sold by Asian growers, chewy and more glutinous than other corn. Needs to be cooked longer. In addition, there’s even the purple sticky corn (even stickier than the white sticky corn!)–kernels are purple w/ regular, green husks.
(And of course, there’s the popcorn variety, but that’s another story.)
Selection and Storage: Corn is best stored in a cool environment since warm temperatures will convert the sugar in the corn to starch. Your farmers’ market producer should be displaying their corn in cold or iced containers. When selecting individual ears, check the freshness of each one by gently peeling back the husk to examine it, being careful not to ruin it for the next customer. Ears should have full, even ears with straight rows of bright, shiny kernels. The husks should be bright green with the silk ends free from decay and obvious worm damage. Refrigerate your corn in the high humidity storage bin as soon as you get home. It is best to refrigerate corn with the husks attached to keep it moist, but if the corn has already been husked, partially or fully, refrigerate it in a perforated plastic bag.
Easy Grilled Corn
Husk corn and remove silk. Lay the corn on a piece of aluminum foil that is large enough to wrap around the corn cob several times. Rub butter on the corn and sprinkle with salt. If you would like a spicy ear of corn, sprinkle chili powder on the corn at this time. Another option is to squeeze some lime juice on the corn and then sprinkle the chili powder (after putting butter and salt). Wrap corn in foil making sure to cover tightly and place on a hot grill (at least 400 degrees).
Roast the corn for 45 minutes to 1 hour, turning about every 10 minutes with tongs. If foil starts to turn black that means the grill is too hot, so turn down the heat a bit and cook slower. Carefully unwrap. Add more butter and salt if desired. Flavored butters like garlic butter, herb butter, or cheese butter can enhance the grilled flavors.
What if you knew you could do better in sports, not by working out until you drop, but by fueling your body with healthy nutritious foods that build muscle, by gearing up your immune system, and by giving you more energy and stamina? Would you eat healthier? Sure you would.
Fresh locally-grown produce straight from your farmers’ market will give you the fuel your body needs to golf 18 holes, swim laps in the pool, or play a full game of tennis, without wilting. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein will give your body the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and energy for all kinds of tasks throughout the day, not just for the bursts of energy used in sports.
Building Muscle: Proteins are the way to go for muscle strength and endurance. Lean chicken, turkey, and seafood keep your muscles strong. Nuts, eggs, milk, legumes, and peanut butter are good sources, too. Make sure you take in some healthy fats like olive oil as well.
Energy Boosters: Carbohydrates will give you energy in whole grain pastas and breads, oats, fresh fruits and vegetables, and local honey. Carbs are the body’s preferred source of fuel, plus they raise serotonin levels, keeping your mood even. The body absorbs whole grains and beans slowly because they are full of healthy fiber, stabilizing blood sugar and energy levels and giving you sustainable energy. Exercise itself is an energy booster, so take a brisk walk and stretch a bit before playing a game of baseball with your pals.
Keeping You Well: Your immune system benefits from a variety of whole fresh foods like antioxidant-rich berries, dark leafy greens, garlic and onions, oranges, and beans. Yogurt helps your digestive tract and salmon has the much-touted omega-3 fatty acids.
Water Well: Dehydration can cause fatigue. Studies suggest that dehydration can slow the metabolism and sap your energy. The solution is simple – drink plenty of water. Avoid caffeine and alcohol which are natural diuretics. And don’t drink sugary sodas –they’re full of empty calories.
Before Playing: Eat small meals throughout the day to keep sugar levels even. Keep lots of water handy during your golf game or tag football game.
Have a cool tasty smoothie on a hot day, full of energizing fresh fruit from the farmers’ market. It’s the perfect light meal before you go out and bat a few balls around.
 Berry Peach Smoothie
1 cup nonfat peach yogurt
3/4 cup peach nectar
1/2 cup raspberries
1- 1/2 cup ripe medium peaches, diced
Combine the yogurt and nectar in a blender. Add the raspberries and peaches. Blend until smooth. Serves 2.
Remember to eat healthy to stay healthy so you can go out and play your favorite sport, and be sure to Buy Fresh, Buy Local! You’ll support your local farmers and enjoy the best they have to offer.
Here in Contra Costa County when we talk about “locally-grown,” we really mean local! The County is a great place to find fresh locally-grown fruits and vegetables, nuts, eggs, herbs, honey, wine, olive oils, and more.
Sad to say, many children have never visited a farm and don’t actually know where their food comes from. Agriculture plays a very important role in our lives and yet we take it for granted that there will always be an abundance of fruits and vegetables available. Farmland is slowly disappearing and it makes you wonder where we’ll get our fresh fruits and vegetables in the future.
What better way to spend a family-oriented “staycation” weekend than to find local treasures right in your own backyard! The kids will learn about where their food actually comes from, maybe inspire them to grow their own vegetables, and maybe even become small farmers themselves. For this fun, inexpensive, and educational weekend take the whole family for a short drive to some of these wonderful u-pick farms and farm stands in the Brentwood area:
- Smith Family Farm for amazing tomatoes
- Dwelley Farms with corn, stone fruit, green beans, & more
- Tachella Farms for stone fruit and apples
- Chan’s Fruit Stand for plump juicy strawberries
- Lon’s Farm Stand for a variety of peppers, melons, & more
- Olio Bello d’Olivo for fantastic extra virgin olive oils (by appointment)
- Enos Family Farm for crunchy fresh-picked almonds
- Shelly’s Garden for fresh herbs and fresh eggs (by appointment)
In other parts of the County there are a surprising number of enterprising farmers:
- Alhambra Valley Farms in Martinez with luscious pears
- Mangini Farms in Pleasant Hill with fresh corn
- Diablo Creek Apiaries in Clayton with local honey
- Sterling Albert Winery with wine grapes near Mt. Diablo, storefront in Concord
These farms are all participants in area farmers’ markets, so check with them for what’s available this summer. For more information on Brentwood u-pick farms and farm stands visit www.harvest4you.com to download a harvest map and get farm information and directions.
Here’s a tasty way to enjoy your just-picked locally-grown Brentwood corn. Gather the family, get out the grill, and cook up something fresh! You know where it came from, you know when it was picked, and you know you’re supporting local farms! How delicious is that!
Deb’s Grilled Chipotle Parmesan Corn
4 ears fresh Brentwood corn
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder (optional)
Scant salt and pepper (to taste)
Brush 1 tablespoon olive oil on each ear of corn. Sprinkle evenly with chipotle powder, salt and pepper. Grill for 12 to 15 minutes, moving the corn to a cooler part of the grill as they become slightly blackened. Remove from the grill and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Serve hot. Yum! Recipe: Debra Morris, PCFMA
Inspire your own children by taking them to the farm and educating them on how that meal appears on their plate. Get to know your local farmers and thank them for their hard work and dedication to bringing you the best locally-grown produce to you and your farmers’ market. Here’s to good summer eatin’ fresh from your farmers’ market (and your local farms!). Remember to buy fresh and buy local!
It’s summer and our choices of fruits and vegetables are seemingly endless! Going down the aisle of stalls at the Pacific Coast Farmer’s Market on Thursday on Main Street is such a treat. Just looking at the variety of fruits and vegetables available directly from their harvest at nearby ranches makes one grateful to be here in the Bay Area and privy to such bounty.
Resendez Farm down in the valley at Hughson is featuring this week’s produce fresh from the fields. They also want to alert us that very soon they will be bringing a great grape harvest of Thompson Seedless and Red Flames as well as their chocolate cherry tomatoes.
J & M Farms are bringing tasty juicy tomatoes also. Additionally, you will find peaches, nectarines and cherries, the latter available perhaps for only one more week, so get you “cherry fix” now!
Stop by Lemon Tree for some unique Indian food, prepared fresh and ready for your table. How easily you can vary your menus by trying some new ethnic foods. You may find a flavor that will enhance and vary your summer menus. All these treats will be there when you stroll the aisle to the strumming harp of “Angel” as she offers lively melodies on her talented “strings.” Moving in time to her music makes shopping fun.
Of course, if you haven’t been tending your garden as well as you should have, there are beautiful bouquets of just picked flowers in a rainbow of colors from Fernandes Flowers. Abel is always ready to exchange a cheerful greeting and explain the names and features of his many varieties of blooms and greenery. I always seem to find a display of some posies I have never seen before. And – the color choices are many. Having a bouquet of fresh flowers adds life and color to a table or hallway and makes the area cheery and welcoming.
Stuffed Tomatoes
4 ripe tomatoes
lettuce cups
smoked turkey or chicken, cut up
3 T. sweet pickle relish
3 T. minced celery
mayonnaise
Turn tomatoes, stem end down and cut each not quite through in sedges. Spread apart. Place in lettuce cups on serving plate. Combine meat, pickle relish, celery and enough mayo to moisten. Spoon into center of tomatoes.
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Summer Salad
2 c. chopped tomato
1 c. sliced cucumber
1 can (3 oz.) or equivalent fresh sliced mushrooms
3 T. vegetable oil
3 T. wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t. salt, dash pepper
lettuce
3 T. blue cheese, crumbled
Place tomato, cucumber and mushrooms in bowl. (If using canned, use undrained) Combine remaining ingredients except cheese and lettuce and pour over veggies. Chill several hours and then serve, sprinkled with cheese and placed on lettuce.
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Peachtree Salad
2/3 c. salad oil
1/3 c. wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, split
1 t. sugar
½ to salt, dash pepper
8 c. torn salad greens, chilled
1 c. minced parsley
1 c. sliced peaches
½ c. broken pecans.
Combine first 6 ingredients in a jar, cover and shake to blend. Chill, then remove garlic and shake again before tossing with greens and remaining ingredients.
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Colorful Cherry Salad
Toss together: 1 c. pitted fresh cherries, 1 c. cantaloupe balls, ½ c. diced avocado and 1 c. grapefruit sections. Heap in crisp lettuce cups and serve with French dressing. Too easy, very fresh and tasty!
For this summer’s cookouts, consider introducing some new and exciting guests to your grill besides hotdogs and hamburgers. Your neighborhood farmers’ market is jam-packed with delicious produce that taste great on the grill! But don’t stop at zucchini, corn, and eggplant…. anything that can be cooked in your kitchen’s stovetop or oven can benefit from the smoky char of a live fire. Usually, veggies with higher water content tend to cook easier, although denser produce such as beets, carrots and potatoes can also work if cooked over lower indirect heat or pre-blanched. Be sure to experiment with the super sweet stone fruit, (such as nectarines and peaches), that is in abundance throughout the summer, as well as strawberries! These fruits are usually sweet enough to grill without the aid of a marinade, but a 1 to 1 mix of balsamic vinegar and honey make an amazing glaze to brush on! Here are some tips to remember when tossing fruit and veg on a hot grate:
- A grill pan can be your best friend, especially when grilling produce that can easily fall through the grates, such as green beans, cauliflower, mushrooms, and onions. Be sure to preheat the pan for about 15 minutes on a covered grill before introducing produce.
- Marinate your produce with your favorite sauce which can be as simple as a homemade vinaigrette, to add flavor and acidity. The possibilities are endless. Just make sure to shake off any excess marinade before laying veggies directly to the grill to prevent dripping and subsequent “flare-ups” (which can cause a sooty flavor to cling).
- Cut produce evenly so that they cook consistently throughout. Cook first over high direct heat to develop grill lines, then, if further cooking is needed (especially with denser produce), move to a lower temperature portion of the grill to finish.
- Use a fork to determine if veggies are done. A fork should glide easily into produce that is finished cooking.
- Fruits should not be left on the grill too long. They often only need to develop a little char and then heat through but not turn into a mush!
- Roasted peppers make everything taste better! Throw them whole on the hot part of the grill and keep rotating until they get all blistery and charred, remove them and place in a plastic bag or a sealed bowl to steam on themselves for 15 minutes until the skin comes off easily when scraped with a knife. Remove all skin, stems and seeds and you have pure sweet, smoky gold to add to salads, puree in soups, make dips, or stuff with cheese!
- Grilled pizzas are fantastic! Buy premade dough from the store or make your own, form into a round and grill one side as you grill veggies of choice in a grill pan, remove the dough once grill lines have formed and place on a tray (grill lines up), top with sauce, cheese and grilled toppings before finishing off on the grill with the top on until cheese has melted and dough is cooked through!
There are infinite possibilities to make each outdoor cooking event special by using fresh local produce!
-Chef Sim
Summer Fruits and Vegetables are Made for Summer Grilling
Ah, the wonderful smell of freshly-mowed grass, the sound of children running through the sprinklers and dogs barking, the garden awash in color with summer flowers, and the mouth-watering smell of food grilling on the barbecue. Yes, summer is here with warm evenings spent outside, and friends coming over for good conversation and an evening meal on the patio. Let’s get grillin’!
Here’s to the all-American summer pastime—grilling and barbecuing. Grab that picnic basket and head for the nearest park or campground—or walk out your back door to the patio and fire up the grill! The weather is perfect for fresh summer vegetables like big, juicy tomatoes, crisp yellow and white corn on the cob, succulent yellow and green summer squash ready to slice, and sweet and hot peppers tossed in salad and made into salsa.
Summer vegetables are available from June through September. And the freshest vegetables are here at your farmers’ market. Just-picked vegetables have the most nutrient-power available, loaded with antioxidants, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, stuffed in tasty little packages.
Toss some sliced zucchini and thick slabs of eggplant on the grill; or drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil and grill. Mix chopped tomatoes, peppers, and onion with cilantro and lime juice and you have a great fresh salsa; or cut veggies in chunks, skewer and you have veggie kabobs.
Marinated or not, the natural flavors of the produce are enhanced by grilling—peaches and nectarines become sweeter, zucchini and tomatoes become more savory. You don’t need much seasoning, either. Salt and pepper and a little olive oil are great for vegetables, or a bit of brown sugar for fruit—or grill with no seasoning at all. The natural flavors of locally-grown fruits and vegetables will shine through!
Cooking Times
(Check your own cookbook for more details.)
Asparagus: pre-cook for 3-4 minutes, grill for 3-5 minutes.
Bell Peppers: cook 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until they begin to shrivel.
Corn on the Cob: remove husks, wrap in foil. Grill for 20-30 minutes.
Eggplant: (1″ thick slices) grill for 8 minutes.
Mushrooms, whole: grill 7-10 minutes.
New potatoes: cut in half, pre-cook for 10 minutes, grill for 10-12 minutes.
Onions: slice in half, grill for 3-5 minutes directly on the grill.
Zucchini or summer squash: slice thick, grill for 5-6 minutes.
Apricots: cut in half, remove pit. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until soft and grill marks appear.
Melons: remove rind and cut into eighths. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, turning frequently. Baste lightly with butter to prevent sticking.
Nectarines & Peaches: cut in half, remove pit. Cook 10 minutes, turning once.
Plums: halve and pit. Cook 7 to 8 minutes
Strawberries: cook quickly over medium heat, 2 to 3 minutes.
Quick Grilled Veggie Packets
1 large onion, sliced
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
1 Russet potato, cut in chunks, skin left on
1 yellow squash, sliced (or any other veggie combination you like)
Place all sliced vegetables in a bowl, toss with olive oil, crushed garlic, salt, and pepper. Place in the center of a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Fold foil around the vegetables to form a sealed packet, either by twisting to make a “topknot” or folding around it. Place on the grill over indirect heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
Here’s to good summer eatin’ fresh from your farmers’ market. Remember to buy fresh and buy local!
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opposed to today’s hybrids.
