Culinary Guides

This is the salad to make when the garden is at its peak. Crisp cucumber, sweet cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, red onion, and fresh corn get a simple olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing, with crumbled feta or goat cheese on top. It stays crunchy in the fridge for days, so it is good for meal prep.

• 1 medium cucumber, lightly peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 large or 2 smaller bell peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1/2 red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 2 ears)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• A heaping 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese or feta

1. Chop the cucumber, halve the cherry tomatoes, seed and chop the bell peppers, and chop the red onion. Slice the corn kernels off the cob if using fresh.
2. Toss the cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, onion, and corn in a large bowl with the chopped parsley.
3. Drizzle with the olive oil and red wine vinegar and season with salt, pepper, and the red pepper flakes.
4. Toss to coat, then crumble the goat cheese or feta over the top and fold it in gently.
5. Serve right away, or chill to let the flavors meld. It keeps its crunch for up to 3 days.

Grower's tip: pick cucumbers young and slender, before the seeds swell and the skin turns yellow. Harvesting often actually keeps the vine setting more fruit, so the more you pick the more you get through the summer.

Every vegetable in this bowl is easy to grow. Start our cucumber seeds, cherry tomato seeds, bell pepper seeds, onions, and corn for a salad straight from the garden.