Italian eggplant, banana peppers, rainbow carrots, cilantro, bush beans, cantaloupe, fingerling potato mix and the season’s first ears of sweet corn—woohoo!

With a heat wave engulfing the Palmetto State, I’ve been craving cool salads and prepping stove top (versus oven) whenever possible. For my big Corsican salad, I beat the heat by using a good sized steamer to cook both the corn and potatoes at the same time—simply cover your corn with water in the bottom of the pan, place slices of potatoes in the top, cover and cook.

If you’re firing up the grill, soak the corn in water, husks and all, for a half hour and roast the ears till the kernels are tender. The leaves intensify the veggie’s flavor while grilling imparts a yummy smokiness.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the toll the Lowcountry heat takes on our farmers—here’s what our Twenty Bag’s Harleston Towles shared about summer on his farm.

“It's beginning to get a little brutal out there at times,” says Towles. “We'll begin to acclimate in the fields but the first wave of heat and humidity is always a doozy for the team and I. Day in, and day out, the field crew gets the job done, picking hundreds of pounds of produce through the hot, sticky, and sometimes buggy conditions. This has got to be one of the hardest jobs alive and I don't ever hear complaints.”

These folks deserve a lot of respect and all our support.

Back in the kitchen. Casseroles are few and far between in my meal plan when temps are nearing triple digits. Cooking time for this c old green bean salad from allrecipes is a mere 7 minutes, and the acidity of the dish provides a refreshing counterpoint to the richness of a mayo-based one you may be planning, such as a classic creamy potato salad.

I’m going to sub the banana pepper for the green bell in this ratatouille recipe and see where the sweet/ spiciness takes the dish.

Chill that gorgeous cantaloupe, cut it into thick wedges and enjoy! Search sweetgrass + grits for plenty of ideas for the rest of the week’s Bag.