4 EATINGWELL JULY/AUGUST 2019
HEROES IN ACTION!
Our third annual list of people
making positive changes to food
in America starts on page 80.
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O
ne of the things that’s so great
about our food editor, Jim
Romanoff , is that he tells me all
the time how much he loves his job. But
his real passion is shopping for food—a
day at the Jean-Talon food hall in Mon-
treal, a stop at the Indian grocery in his
neighborhood, a scouting trip through
the Publix when he visits his parents in
Florida. His hands-down fave is a Satur-
day outing to the farmers’ market here in
Burlington, Vermont.
So when it came time to edit our 27
tips on how to crush the farmers’ market
like a pro (starting on page 96), Jim and
I had some of the more lively (read: too
loud for the offi ce) discussions we’ve had
in a while. See, part of the reason I bolt
from bed at 7 a.m. on summer Saturdays
is to beat the competition—Jim Romanoff
and the other farmers’ market geeks—to
get the best goodies. So really, it’s not a
surprise that the two of us had a hard time
agreeing about picking the best heirloom
tomatoes or whether it’s OK to ask a
farmer for seconds. These are important
topics, people!
The subject that got us über riled was
selecting corn on the cob. The farmer
quoted in the story said never, ever peel
back the husk. It’s rude! Instead, just feel
each ear to see if plump kernels have fi lled
in to the top. To Jim, this tip is all wrong.
It inspired him to write long scribbles of
commentary all over the draft. His sug-
gested rewrite: pull back the husk to have
a peek, pinch a kernel off and pop it in
@JESSIEEATSWELL
CEDRIC ANGELES
Grab Your
Reusable
Shopping
Bags!
your mouth to see how sweet it is. Now,
I’ve talked to other farmers about the
peeling pet peeve, and I really had to side
with them. I’m not going to buy those ears
after someone else has peeled them. I did
concede one point to Jim—you will get the
most info using his method. But if a little
peeling is rude, that pinch may get you
booted from the market! Anyway, I’m not
banking on Jim changing his technique.
But we did land on a solid third way that
we’re happy to recommend. Go ahead
and grope the ear as our farmer instructs,
but also ask when the corn was picked.
(You get to do that ... you’re at the farmers’
market!) If the answer is anytime in the
last 24 hours, buy it!
Even if you’re already a zealot like
me and Jim, you’ll fi nd plenty of tips
that will make your farmers’ market
excursions better. But most important,
this story—and the whole issue—is loaded
with recipes to use up all that bounty that
comes along with this most delicious time
of the year. Eat well!
Cheers,
Carter Smits and Levi
Alsum (left to right)
haul sweet corn at
the farmers’ market in
Madison, Wisconsin.
The Alsums have sold
here since the ’70s.
