The corn is coming in by the truckload now and, since it's only my wife and me with a CSA share for a family of four, we can only have so much corn on the cob. When we had four ears each in the last share I thought I'd whip together a quick corn salad with a little heat. I thought it came out pretty nicely so I decided to post the basics for others to tinker with.  I steamed the corn on the stove and dropped it in an ice bath to cool it down, but I'd bet this would be even better if you threw the corn on the grill for 8 - 10 minutes in the husk. Once it was cooled down, I cut the kernels off into a large mixing bowl and then I checked the refrigerator to see what else I could add... Jalapeños? Great, a little heat. I diced a handful of those and added them to the corn. Leftover sausage? We had grilled up some homemade sausage the previous night and I had a few left so I cut them up into bite-size pieces and added them to the bowl. Any turkey, chicken or pork sausage would work equally well. Now it needed an aromatic...

Round about June, as garlic bulbs grow underground and begin to harden, they send forth shoots that pop above ground and head toward the sun in all their bright green splendor.  In order for the bulb below to reach its full potential and grow into the large, meaty garlic cloves we love to dice, roast, and sauté, this shoot needs to be snipped; a pruning of sorts. Fortunately, this is not the end of the journey for the young plant.  This tasty tendril is called a garlic scape, and I'll tell you something, its flavor is divine.  I love garlic, but until recently I haven't done much with garlic scapes.  A recent trip to the Roslindale Farmer's Market (Roslindale, MA) changed all of that.

Beets, beets, the magical root, the more you eat the more you...permanently dye your hands, kitchen, and clothes bright red.  Is it worth it?  Last night's trip to the farm and subsequently the grill boomed a resounding "yes." If you have never been a beet fan, or you have fallen out of love with them over the years, I strongly suggest you try them on for size again.  I actually wouldn't have classified myself as a staunch beet enthusiast before last night's foray.  I don't look for them on menus, and I generally pass up the cold variety at the salad bar.  Something about them at the farm yesterday caught my attention, however.  I think much of it had to do with the fact that they had literally just been harvested.  There is something very special about a one-hour , ground-to-plate turnaround.  It's basically the mission of Local In Season at its very best.  My recommended prep for beets is as follows.

There are two things going on here.  One, is a simple idea, the other is a simple recipe.  The simple idea is one that crosses my mind often, but realizing the fantasy would take a degree of time and effort that I realistically can't muster at the moment.  So if you have the energy and resources, knock yourself out and remember to thank me when you make your first million.  The simple recipe is something I have made many times and it is always delectable.  I am inspired to share it now as my closest local farm, Allandale Farm in Brookline, Mass., is gearing up to "unleash" its heirlooms for the season. The latest update from Allandale has me setting aside some time on July 23 to swing by and pick up some of the first off the vine.  

First, the idea.