When I think of summer produce, the two that I have to be most patient for are chile peppers and melons. Summer squash, eggplant, tomatoes, sweet corn, green beans, okra… all of these show up well before the peppers and the melons. So, this is a great time of year where the full summer produce palette is available. The two larger peppers are an Italian sweet variety known as Corno de Toro, meaning Horn of the Bull.

And it’s always nice to get some greens during the summer months. Most greens struggle through the hot months of NC summer. Arugula is no exception. The heat makes arugula want to bolt quickly. It’s a lot of extra work for the farmers to provide shade and water to make arugula work in the summer, and I appreciate getting a little of my favorite salad green during it’s off months.