One of the joys of summer buying from local farms is abundance. One of the occasional challenges of summer buying from local farms is also abundance. A flat of peaches that all ripen at once, a half-dozen ears of corn you forgot about, a crisper drawer full of cucumbers — these situations call for action, not waste.
Here is a practical guide to the best uses for each of the most common summer surplus items.
Extra peaches
Peaches ripen unpredictably and fast. Here is what to do when you have more than you can eat.
Eat them first. Sliced over vanilla ice cream. Halved and grilled for five minutes. Stirred into yogurt with honey. These require no recipe and no cooking time.
Quick skillet cobbler. Slice peaches into a cast iron skillet or baking dish, dust with a bit of sugar and cinnamon, top with a simple biscuit or crumble topping, and bake at 375 degrees for about thirty minutes. This uses three to four pounds of peaches and feeds a family.
Freeze them. Peel, slice, toss with a small amount of lemon juice to prevent browning, freeze in a single layer on a tray, then transfer to bags. Frozen local peaches are excellent in smoothies, crisps, and oatmeal through winter.
Simple jam. A small batch of peach jam — two pounds of fruit, sugar, and lemon — takes about forty minutes and does not require canning. Store in the fridge for up to a month or freeze in small containers.
Salsa or chutney. Peach salsa — diced peach, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, and lime — is outstanding with grilled chicken or pork. Peach chutney is an excellent condiment for cheese boards or roasted meats.
Extra sweet corn
Corn is time-sensitive. The sweetness converts to starch quickly after harvest, so using it promptly matters.
Eat it. Boil or grill the same day if possible. Corn this good eaten this fresh is a meal on its own with butter and salt.
Corn salad. Cut kernels from the cob raw or after brief grilling. Toss with cherry tomatoes, red onion, basil or cilantro, olive oil, and a splash of vinegar. This holds well in the fridge for a couple of days and improves as it sits.
Corn fritters. Mix cut kernels with beaten egg, a little flour, salt, and pepper. Pan-fry in butter until golden. These work as a side or a light dinner with a salad.
Corn soup. Simmer cut corn with onion, garlic, broth, and a potato until soft, then blend. The result is a sweet, creamy soup that requires no cream at all. Excellent hot or chilled.
Freeze the surplus. Blanch cobs for four minutes, cool in ice water, cut kernels from the cob, and freeze in bags. This is the best use of more corn than you can eat fresh.
Extra cucumbers
Cucumbers do not freeze well, so the options are eating them fresh, pickling them, or incorporating them into dishes.
Refrigerator pickles. Slice cucumbers, pack into jars, add brine made with white vinegar, water, salt, sugar, garlic, and dill. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours before eating. These keep for several weeks and use up cucumbers quickly.
Cold cucumber soup. Blend cucumber with yogurt, garlic, lemon, mint or dill, and salt. Serve chilled. This is a classic preparation that is genuinely refreshing in summer heat and uses a lot of cucumber very quickly.
Simple salads. Thin-sliced cucumber with red onion, vinegar, a pinch of sugar, and fresh dill. Or with tomato, olive oil, and feta. Cucumber salads are the easiest daily use of extra cucumbers and hold reasonably well in the fridge for a day or two.
Tzatziki. Grated or finely diced cucumber, strained through a cloth, mixed with Greek yogurt, garlic, olive oil, and dill or mint. This condiment pairs with grilled meats, falafel, flatbreads, and raw vegetables. One large cucumber makes a generous batch.
Extra berries
Berries are perishable but preserve beautifully, so extra berries are less of a problem than they might seem.
Freeze them immediately. Rinse, dry, spread on a tray, freeze solid, then transfer to bags. Frozen berries maintain their quality for up to a year and are one of summer's best make-ahead investments.
Macerate them. Toss with a small amount of sugar and let sit at room temperature for twenty minutes. The sugar draws out the juice and softens the berries slightly. Spooned over ice cream, pancakes, or pound cake, this is one of the simplest and most satisfying preparations.
Quick berry sauce. Simmer a cup of berries with a tablespoon of sugar and a squeeze of lemon until the berries break down slightly. Cool and refrigerate. Use as a topping for yogurt, waffles, cheesecake, or plain vanilla ice cream.
Berry smoothie packs. Measure berries into individual portions, bag, and freeze. Each bag becomes a ready-to-blend smoothie component that requires no further work on busy mornings.
Overnight oats. Layer berries with oats, milk or yogurt, and honey. Let sit overnight in the fridge. A fast breakfast that uses berries at whatever stage of ripeness they are in.
The general rule
When summer produce is slightly past its fresh-eating prime, the answer is almost always heat or preservation. Roast, bake, freeze, or pickle. Something that is two days past ideal for eating raw is usually perfectly suited for cooking, jamming, or preserving — and the result will be excellent. Do not discard food that still has quality in it.