How to Choose and Cook Summer Vegetables

Choosing and Eating the Best Tomatoes, Corn & Butter Beans

Aug 17, 2009

Tomatoes, corn, and butter beans (limas) are some of summertime's finest eating. Tips and recipes for dishes that make the most of flavors fresh from the farm

All tomatoes are not created equal. The same is true for corn and butter beans, among others. The difference between greenhouse and field grown tomatoes is shrinking some, but there’s still nothing as good as a fully ripe tomato plucked from the vine at the last minute. Fresh corn on the cob defines summer. Frozen butter beans (limas) are good, but no match for fresh, and dried limas only share the name.

Choosing the Best Tomatoes

Be wary of tomatoes picked before their time, the flavor is never as intense when they finish ripening off the vine for an extended period. The skin should be taut and a deep tomato red, and the flesh should give a little, feeling more like a softball than a baseball. They are best at room temperature.

Breadless Tomato Sandwich

Cheese and tomatoes are a match made in heaven. Mix the ingredients for a healthy, low calorie treat bursting with summer flavor.

The sweetness of corn starts to turn to starch as soon as it is picked. Select corn by making a slit in the husk and examining the kernels. They should be nice and full, not skinny or bloated. The kernels shouldn’t be dry, but have a dewy sheen and the silk soft, not brittle. The husk retains freshness, and shouldn’t be removed until just before cooking. The sooner it is refrigerated after picking, the sweeter it will be. Buy early in the morning from a farmers market or from a grocery store that keeps it refrigerated, refrigerate and eat in a day or two.

Boiling Corn

Shuck and remove the cornsilk. Place in boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes, just until it starts to smell like corn. Drain and serve with butter, salt and pepper.

Grilling Corn

Pull the husk back and remove the cornsilk. Replace the husk, a strip of husk can be used to tie around the ear to hold the husk in place, or wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Place on the top grill rack for 10-15 minutes, turning once or twice.

Microwaving Corn

Choosing Butter Beans

Fresh butter beans pods should be nicely filled out and still green. Brown, dried out pods will yield more mature beans that are more suitable to soups. When buying shelled fresh beans, look for small, well formed beans without brown spots. Large white beans aren’t as tasty.

How to Cook Butter Beans to Eat With a Spoon

Bring the beans to a boil in a large saucepan with a lid. Butter beans foam and boil over easily, so use a big pot. Maintain a boil for about 45 minutes. They need to be watched, a simmer won’t cook them, and boiling can be messy. When they are tender, boil the remaining liquid down as far as possible, add a tablespoon of butter, and milk to cover. Salt and pepper to taste, and serve in a bowl with a spoon.

Summer is fleeting and so is truly fresh produce. You can enjoy fresh produce with Grilled Bread or Home Baked Bread for a special end of summer treat.

The copyright of the article How to Choose and Cook Summer Vegetables in Summer Recipes is owned by Corinne Shibley. Permission to republish How to Choose and Cook Summer Vegetables in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.