Bite into a Palisade peach and juice runs down your arm. Bake those same peaches into a rustic galette, and they become the centerpiece of an easy summer dessert.

Or slice open a Rocky Ford cantaloupe and its sweet aroma fills the kitchen. Peel back the husk on an ear of fresh Olathe or other Colorado sweet corn and dinner is only minutes away after a quick plunge in boiling water.

Three of Colorado’s signature summer produce have arrived. After one of the state’s driest years in recent memory, every peach, melon and ear of corn represents both the determination of Colorado farmers and one of summer’s sweetest rewards.

Limited mountain snowpack and shrinking irrigation supplies forced many growers to make difficult decisions this season, like deciding how many acres to plant to meet demand and still make a profit.

“It’s the season we’ve all been waiting for,” said Adam Smith of family-owned Smith Farms in Rocky Ford. “Even though we’ve had water shortages, we’re still harvesting every day.”

Smith and his family continue harvesting melons each day for their Rocky Ford farm market, and the family’s produce stand on U.S. 24 near Judge Orr Road in Peyton. In addition to cantaloupes and other melons, the farm grows Peaches and Cream sweet corn, not Olathe corn, which is picked fresh each morning and delivered to the market the same day.

The challenges facing growers make shopping locally more meaningful than ever, says Cathy Werle, chef at The Margarita at Pine Creek.

“Every single summer we anticipate the arrival of Palisade peaches, Rocky Ford melons and Olathe corn,” Werle said. “It’s the official start of summer for me.”

Her first piece of advice for farmers market shopping is simple: Talk to the farmers at the markets.

“They know their fruits and vegetables better than anyone,” she said.

Werle says farmers market shoppers often don’t realize the obstacles growers face, from water shortages and labor costs to competition from less-expensive produce shipped from outside Colorado. Buying directly from local farms not only delivers better flavor but it also helps sustain family farms through a difficult season.

When choosing Palisade peaches, look for fruit with rich color, a fragrant aroma and a slight give when gently pressed. If peaches are still firm, let them ripen on the kitchen counter for a day or two before enjoying them fresh, baking them into a cobbler or crisp, or freezing slices for later.

Selecting a Rocky Ford cantaloupe is just as easy. Werle and French Kitchen Culinary Center chef instructor Christine Adrian Miller both recommend choosing melons that feel heavy for their size, have creamy tan netting with little green remaining, and smell sweet at the stem end. Adrian Miller says even oddly shaped melons are often the sweetest.
Fresh sweet corn deserves equal attention.

“As soon as corn is picked, the sugar starts converting to starch,” Smith said. “That’s why we deliver corn to our markets the day it is picked.”

Adrian Miller recommends looking for ears with bright green husks and plump kernels and cooking them within a day or two for the sweetest flavor.

Both chefs favor simple preparations that let Colorado produce take center stage. Werle’s summertime favorite is grilled sweet corn finished elote-style with mayonnaise, cotija cheese, chile, lime and cilantro. Adrian Miller enjoys fresh corn dressed with butter, salt and pepper or folded into a corn and quinoa salad. She also recommends pairing Rocky Ford cantaloupe with prosciutto, creamy burrata and crusty bread for an effortless summer appetizer.

Adrian Miller and her husband, Jason Miller, who is also a chef instructor at The French Kitchen Culinary Center, share seasonal recipes and cooking tips on their blog, Season Two Taste. One of their featured recipes, Quinoa & Mexican Elote-Style Street Corn Salad, offers another delicious way to showcase Colorado’s “summer gold,” as Werle affectionately calls fresh sweet corn.

Colorado’s summer harvest is fleeting. Whether it’s peaches still warm from the orchard, sweet corn picked that morning or a fragrant cantaloupe shared around the table, this is the season to seek out local produce. Every purchase at a farmers’ market or roadside stand supports the families who grew it — and rewards your table with the freshest flavors Colorado has to offer.

Easy Peach Galette
Yield: 4 servings
1 store-bought refrigerated pie crust
2-3 large peaches, sliced into wedges
1 tablespoon cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees with the rack in the lowest position.
Place piecrust on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Leaving a 2-inch border around the edge of the crust, top the center of the crust with peach slices in a decorative pattern. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar mixed with cinnamon and the cut-up butter. Fold the edges of the dough toward the center, overlapping slightly and partially covering the fruit. Brush the edges of the dough with water and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-sugar.
Bake 35-40 minutes, until juices are bubbling and the crust is golden.
Source: parade.com