It is always a treat to visit the farmer’s market in the summer. We were at one last Saturday, and we could not resist taking pictures because of the wonderful colors of the peppers, tomatoes and greens.

What is terrific are the changes you see in the produce from month to month. We just never seem to have enough time to visit the farmer’s market every Saturday.

You then come home and wonder what to do with all this bounty. I wanted to use all that I could of my produce so I found two recipes that fit the bill. They are both, good end of the summer salads and will use a lot of the produce you can find at the farmer’s market this time of year. With Labor Day this weekend, some of the farmer’s markets will be closing for the summer. Try and get out and find one to enjoy one last time!

Taken from the August 2013 Food and Wine magazine:

Summer Vegetable

“Ceviche”

8 servings

1 cup fresh baby lima beans (from about 1½ pounds in the pod) or other shelling beans

1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 scallion, thinly sliced

1 jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced

Sea salt

1 ½ cups fresh corn kernels (from 2 ears)

2 nectarines, cut into thin wedges

1 Hass avocado, cut into1/2-inch cubes

1 large orange bell pepper, finely julienned

1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved

½ cup coarse chopped cilantro

In a small saucepan of salted boiling water, cook the lima beans until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the beans and rinse under cool water.

In a large bowl, whisk the lime zest and juice with the olive oil, scallion, jalapeño and shallot; season the dressing with salt. Gently fold in the lima beans, corn, nectarines, avocado, orange pepper and tomatoes. Refrigerate the “ceviche” for at least two hours. Fold in the cilantro just before serving and serve the “ceviche” chilled.

This salad can be refrigerated for up to eight hours.

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The next recipe adds some chicken to the salad. The farmer’s market is a good source of farm eggs, grass-feed beef and pastured pork and occasionally some chickens that have been raised free range. Taken from the September 2013 Food and Wine magazine.

 

Southern Cobb Salad with Roasted Sweet Onion Dressing

Serves 4-6

Dressing:

6 unpeeled garlic cloves

2 large Vidalia onions (1½ pounds), peeled and quartered through the core

1¼ cups vegetable oil, plus more for brushing

½ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

10 lightly packed cups mixed lettuces (6 ounces)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 cup cooked fresh corn kernels

1 cup radish sprouts or just sliced radishes

4 ounces blue cheese, crumble (1 cup)

½ cup crumbled cooked bacon

1 Hass avocado, peeled and diced

1 medium tomato, diced

½ cup toasted pecans, chopped

2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and sliced lengthwise

Make the dressing: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wrap the garlic cloves in foil and set on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush the onions with oil and arrange on the baking sheet. Bake for one hour, until the onions and garlic are lightly charred and soft. Let cool.

Peel the garlic and transfer the cloves to a blender. Add the onions, cider vinegar and lemon juice and puree until smooth. With the blender on gradually add the 1¼ cups of vegetable oil until incorporated. Season the dressing with salt and pepper.