Mom's Tip of the Week

I mentioned below my frustration of getting a bunch of corn mid-week, then my salvation thru Mark Bittman. What I did not know was THE trick for corn on the cob, but thanks to Bubbie, here it is:

An angel food pan. Brilliant. I started to de-kernel some corn roasted on the grill the other night. My mom sez to me, "do you have an angel food cake pan." Knowing our abundance of kitchen supplies that was a dumb question. But you know, I do not even like angel food that much. I love the pan (now). It achieves two things. First, you stick the cob in the hole in the pan, keeping it firmly in place for cutting. Second, you have the reservoir for cake to catch the kernels.

12th Market
Oak Park Farmer's Market 8/20/05
Loaded Up

I saw chowhound, Ann Fisher as I was leaving the market on Saturday, hands full. She said, "good day at the market." But you know what I was thinking. I was thinking, with Sophie with her friend Quinn, the Condiment Queen and Hannah volunteering at the Animal Care League, I had only two hands to carry stuff. And when I could not carry anymore, well, that was it for the day. Or put another way, I got hassled this morning because the only berries I purchased were blue berries.

White peaches, peach peaches, nectarines, blue berries, golden raspberries, jalepenos (nicely hot), small red potatoes, basil, green beans, wild Illinois plums (from Nicholl's) and stunning, dull red pears; oh and a carton of fresh eggs from the Wettstein's. What I could have done with another set of arms.

For the records: there was an absolute profusion of hot peppers in the market. I do not know if it's a "thing" for peppers this year, the hot weather or what, but both Nicholl's and Farmer Vicki had several kinds of peppers (as did a few other vendors). Apricots seemed to have finished but what a short great season they were.