I am a huge fan of seasonal ingredients, and summer is by far my favorite time of year for fresh produce. To me, there is nothing better than biting into a juicy, ripe nectarine and enjoying fresh berries at breakfast first thing in the morning. When I lived in Murray Hill (for 7 years!), I used to go down to the Union Square Farmers Market multiple times a week to pick up my fruit and veggies. It was definitely one of my favorite activities, especially on the weekends when there was the greatest selection.
When I moved in with my husband Andrew, I was sad to not have the Farmers Market so close by. There is one near us, but it certainly does not have as much variety as the one downtown. Lucky for us we were introduced to a gentleman who was starting a CSA - Community Supported Agriculture - bringing produce to the City fresh from his farm in Pennsylvania. It didn’t take long for us to decide to join this group, and starting in June we began receiving weekly deliveries of the freshest farm ingredients: zucchini, garlic scapes, Swiss chard, heirloom sweet peppers, corn, black raspberries, apricots, and more.
Today I visited my sister in Union Square, my old farmers market stomping ground. Knowing that I had just received fresh corn and green beans (among other things), I decided to see what else I could stock up on to make something delicious for a picnic we’re taking with friends tomorrow. Normally I would go straight for tomatoes and basil - a great combo with corn - but unfortunately tomatoes aren’t really in season just yet. Basil, however, was in full bloom at one of the stands, and it looked and smelled divine. The aromas of fresh basil are one of the best summer smells of all time. So I decided to make my corn salad, but with my green beans instead of tomatoes. Here’s my recipe:
Ingredients:
- bunch of green beans, rinsed and trimmed
- 3-4 ears of corn, husked
- 1-2 small red onions, chopped
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, torn
Directions:
- In a medium pot, boil water. Add the green beans and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. When done, rinse under cold water. Add green beans to a medium bowl.
- Add the corn to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Remove and rinse under cold water until corn is cool enough to touch. Cut the kernels off the cob, making sure to cut close to the cob, and add kernels to the bowl.
- Add the chopped red onions to the bowl with the green beans and corn.
- In a small bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Season to taste.
- Toss the dressing with the corn and green bean mixture and top with torn basil before serving.
Hopefully our friends will enjoy the salad as much as I do. If I were you, I’d get to a farmers market ASAP to reap the benefits of the summer harvest. It is certainly nutritious and delicious, or as I like to say, Nutritioulicious!
