All over the South families are raising produce in their summer gardens. While many Southern cities have large farms where you can pick your own produce or buy your beans and peas by the bushel, many farms are made up of just a few rows of a family’s favorite produce to enjoy through the summer.

Once upon a time families raised large gardens so they could “put up” produce for the winter months. Canning tomatoes, blanching and freezing ears of corn and beans was a common summertime activity. With flash frozen vegetables available year-round many families are only raising smaller types of produce such as tomatoes, bell peppers, maybe a squash plant or two. We are lucky here in the Miss-Lou we have many farms close by that raise and sell their produce for us to put in our freezer but even with that luxury most of my friends have a vegetable or two growing in their yard. Some are in pots on the porch, some are several rows surrounded by wire to keep out the deer but all are raised with idea of keeping something we love alive and to feed our families the freshest produce available.

This recipe for corn maque choux came from one of my favorite cook books, however when I make it I leave out the okra. The key to this recipe and any other that requires you to cut corn off of the cob and scrape the cob is to use the back of a knife or edge of a spoon and get the milky corn juice out. This juice is filled with fresh corn flavor and the little “bits” of corn that come out of the cob are delicious.

Cajun maque choux

1/2 pound bacon, cut into small pieces

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

Dash or two of Tabasco

1/4 pound small fresh okra, stems removed, cut into round

8 ears of fresh corn, kernels cut off, and the milky juice scraped from the cobs

1/4 cup water

Salt and black pepper to taste

4 green onions, finely chopped

1 tablespoon of butter

In a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon till crisp and then drain on a paper towel and set aside. Add the onion, garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes. Add the okra, the corn, plus its milk, the Tabasco, the water, salt and pepper. Turn the heat down to low, cover and simmer, stirring once or twice till the vegetables are tender, this takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the vegetables, without the juice, to a serving bowl. Stir the butter and green onions and sprinkle the bacon on top.

— Adapted from “The Glory of Southern Cooking”

This salad takes the concept of succotash, which is most often served hot, and turns it into a summer salad. I like the corn barely cooked so it is still very crisp and the beans cooked until they are just turning tender.

Succotash salad

2 quarts water

4 ears fresh corn, husked and washed

2 cups fresh shelled beans such as baby lima beans

3 ripe medium tomatoes, skinned, seeded and roughly chopped

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil

2 tablespoons fresh thyme

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 /4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

In a large pot over high heat bring the water to a boil. Add the ears of corn, return to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Place the corn in a colander and run cold water over it to stop the cooking and set aside. Add the beans to the same cooking water and return to a boil and boil just until the beans or peas are soft, not mushy. Place them in a colander and run cold water over them to stop the cooking.

Cut the corn from the cobs, scraping the cobs up and down with the back of your knife to get all of the milky juice from the cob. Place the corn and its juice in a large bowl, add the beans, tomatoes, basil and thyme. Stir gently.

Whisk together the vinegar, olive oil and mustard. Season to your taste with salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss. Cover and store in the refrigerator, no longer than 4 hours and stir occasionally to mix flavors.

This salad is how I remember my grandmother serving cucumber, onions and tomatoes during the summer. I had tried making it a different way, but when I found this recipe the dressing made the dish perfect. If your tomatoes are very ripe, don’t let them sit too long in the dressing as they will get mushy.

Onion, cucumber and tomato salad

1 large white onion, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch wedges

4 cucumbers, the smaller ones are better

3 large fresh ripe tomatoes, cored and sliced into 1/2 inch wedges

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus extra

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

3/4 cup cider vinegar

5 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Finely snipped fresh parsley

Soak the onion wedges in a small bowl of salted ice water for about 20 minutes and drain well. Put the chilled onion wedges, sliced cucumber and tomato wedges in a large bowl and season generously with salt and ground pepper. Whisk together in a small bowl the vinegar, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and vegetable oil until the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour the dressing over the vegetables. Toss the salad well, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning and sprinkle on the parsley before serving.

Yellow crookneck squash is one of those dependable plants you can always plant in your garden. Once they start producing, you will get squash for days and so will your neighbors. When you tire of serving it in cut up raw in salads, sautéed with onions until soft and grilled try this casserole. It will soon become a family favorite.

Yellow squash casserole

2 pounds yellow summer squash, sliced in rounds

4 tablespoon butter

1 green pepper, seeded and chopped

1 large white onion, chopped

4 tablespoons sour cream

1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese

1 cup bread crumbs, divided

Salt and pepper

Butter

Cook squash in a large pot of gently boiling salted water for about 5 minutes, until tender but still with some crispness. Drain. Melt the 4 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Cook the green peppers and onion until the onion is translucent, do not brown. Add the drained squash and cook about another 5 minutes. Add the sour cream, cheese and 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a casserole dish and sprinkle with the remaining bread crumbs and dot with butter. Bake on 350 for about 30 minutes or until hot and bread crumbs are browned.

Even though it is hot outside and no one really wants to deep fry this recipe is one I highly recommend. Once I made this recipe, and dropped it by the teaspoonful instead of tablespoon. I served them hot with a spicy mayonnaise sauce for dipping as an appetizer.

Corn fritters

6 ears fresh corn

3 eggs, separated

7/ 8 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

Dash or two of cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons baking powder

Oil for deep frying

Cut the corn from cobs and scrape the cobs with the back of your knife to extract all of the milky juice. You should have about 1 1 / 2 to 2 cups of corn. Take a 1 / 4 cup of the corn and mash with a potato masher and return it to the rest of the corn.

Mix the egg yolks with the corn. Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, cayenne and baking powder. Add to the corn mixture and mix well. Bet and egg whites until stiff but not dry and fold them into the corn mixture. Heat enough oil to deep fry. Drop the batter by the tablespoonfuls into the fat and cook the fritters until browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn and when both sides are golden brown remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

From Camille Glenn