Yellow Pages
In the early morning, in the cool, still part of the day, the smell of peas being harvested carries for miles across the valley.
I am instantly transported to age 16 when I drove a pea viner as a summer job. We worked 12-hour days and the heat, blowing dirt and diesel smell were at times almost overwhelming. But sometimes I got to take home a little cooler full of peas and make my grandma very happy. She always overcooked them.
With the record heat this year, my mind turns to last year when it was so below normal and everything but the root crops were stunted or rotted. But now, if you can keep the garden moist enough, everything is staying ahead of schedule and thriving.
The beautiful Danvers long carrots are sweet and succulent — best when eaten straight from the ground, wiped on a pant leg. And unbelievably, the beets are already ready to roast or pickle. I’m ignoring them because in my mind they shouldn’t be ready yet and I can’t wrap my brain around the heat and steam of the canner.
My zucchini are massive, unlike last year when they were rotting before they could mature, and the Walla Wallas are about as big as my head. All my onions rotted last year.
The corn is starting to tassel and will be ready by the end of the month. Boiled or grilled and then cut off the cob it makes an amazing cold salad — crispy and crunchy. Served with grilled shrimp or a chicken breast, it makes a great hot-day dinner.
To make this simple salad, take four to six ears of corn, fresh-cooked or leftover, and cut off the kernels with a knife or corn stripper, being careful not to cut into the cob. Dice one green pepper, one large, ripe tomato and either a half of a Walla Walla, a quarter of a red or two green onions.
Whisk together a vinaigrette of two tablespoons lime juice or vinegar and three tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss with the veggies and a small bunch of cilantro or basil, chopped. You can also sauté this corn mixture in butter, without the vinaigrette, to make Macque Choux, a Cajun side dish.
If you have a barbecue or picnic to go to, and who doesn’t, and want an alternative to potato or macaroni salad to take, how about trying this salad of cauliflower, bacon and cashews, a less sweet cousin of the bacon, broccoli and raisin salad everybody loves.
If you have cauliflower growing in your garden, congratulations! I’ve tried it and found it so full of aphids that it was inedible. I’ve since learned that if you soak it in salt water the aphids will come out, but I’ve not tried to grow it since, and I’m skeptical.
While cooking a half pound of bacon, pull the florets off a medium-sized head of cauliflower. Let the bacon cool completely while dicing a quarter of a yellow onion. Don’t use too much onion, or that is all you will taste. Chop up 1/2 cup of roasted cashews and crumble the bacon. Make a simple dressing of 2/3 cup mayonnaise, salt, pepper, a pinch of garlic and a splash of vinegar, or use bottled ranch dressing. Toss everything together and refrigerate until very cold.
Few things refresh on a hot day like a cool cucumber and mint salad. I found this one in “The Big Book of Backyard Cooking” by Betty Rosebottom, called extra special Tabbouleh with Avocado and Feta. Tabbouleh is bulgur wheat, but barley and couscous work well, too.
Cook the bulgur according to package directions. Let cool completely. Dice a large tomato, a small cucumber, two avocados and four radishes. (I omit the radishes because they come back to haunt me later.)
Roughly chop a bunch of Italian parsley, four green onions and 1/4 cup mint. Whisk together one tablespoon lemon zest, six tablespoons olive oil, three tablespoons lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Combine everything in a bowl with 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese. Works exceptionally well with grilled flank steak or lamb kebabs.
Erin Earles works at Epicure in Anacortes when she’s not tending her garden, family and horses in Bay View. If you have a column suggestion or comment, or a question about food or gardening, please e-mail her at .
