Summer’s Spectacular Produce

summer vegetable recipes
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By Katie Hurley

summer vegetables recipes The bounty of summer produce brings joy to those who like to cook as well as those who just like to eat.   The variety of fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs available right now is amazing, and the number of possible ways to prepare them all is staggering.

Bayview Thriftway and Ralph’s Thriftway have a great selection of the best of summer produce.   Gorgeous organic heirloom tomatoes in a variety of rich colors make a beautiful, simple salad when thinly sliced and dressed with a little olive or truffle oil, salt and pepper.   Dress them up with some thinly sliced chives, basil leaves or cilantro leaves.

Featured right now are Spooner’s delicious marionberries and raspberries, as well as Martin Family Orchards’ Rainier cherries and Red Haven Peaches.  These huge peaches are juicy and flavorful.    Enjoy them sliced for a sweet snack, or peel and dice them and add to salsa or pico de gallo.   Grilled peaches make a great accompaniment to pork, and can also be used in salads and salsa.

Pickling cucumbers can be pickled and canned for long-term storage, but they can also be made into Quick Pickles in as little as an hour and will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

quick pickled cucumbersQuick Pickles

5 pickling cucumbers, about 4-5” long

2 t. kosher salt

1 c. apple cider vinegar

½ c. water

One or more of the following:

2 t. pickling spice,

1 sprig of fresh dill (or 1 t. dried)

3 cloves garlic, peeled and split in half

2 dried red chilies

Bring vinegar, water, salt and seasonings to a boil in a small saucepan.  Meanwhile wash cucumbers, trim off the ends and cut into ¼” thick slices.    Place cucumbers in a glass bowl and pour boiling brine over the cucumbers.  Cover with plastic wrap or a tight-fitting lid and place in the refrigerator until chilled, at least one hour.  Store in refrigerator for up to a week.

Yellow corn and white corn, sweet and delicious, are plentiful in the later part of the summer.  I got some gorgeous yellow corn at Bayview today to make Mexico City street corn.  This is an easy and delicious way to dress up corn.

summer vegetable recipesMexico City Street Corn

4 ears of corn

2 T. Mayonnaise

Juice of ½ lime

½ c. grated cotija cheese

dash or two of cayenne pepper, to taste

2 T. minced cilantro leaves

Remove the husks and silk from the corn, and then grill, boil or roast corn until it is just tender.   Combine mayonnaise, lime juice, cotija cheese and cayenne pepper and spread this mixture over the hot ears of corn. Sprinkle cilantro over the top and serve.

To take full advantage of the best summer produce, it makes sense to finish your meal with fruit, don’t you think?  Something like strawberry shortcake with fresh mint… just add some thinly sliced mint leaves to the strawberries, and a little orange zest to the whipped cream for a different take on strawberry shortcake.   Or something like this delicious Nectarine Blackberry Crisp.  I substituted Spooner’s big, juicy marionberries for the blackberries and my family was clamoring for more.

summer cobbler recipeDon’t miss out on the glorious summer produce at locally-owned Bayview Thriftway and Ralph’s Thriftway, and for extra savings on some items check out Produce Happy Hour on Tuesdays from 4:00 to 7:00 pm at both stores.

Bayview Thriftway

516 W. 4th Ave., Olympia

360.352.4897

 

Ralph’s Thriftway

1908 E. 4th Ave., Olympia

360.357.8011

 

 

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