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North Fork heirloom tomato and corn salad. (Credit: Vera Chinese)

Before I assumed my role as editor of northforker.com, I admit I didn’t quite understand how superior heirloom tomatoes are to their flavorless grocery store counterparts.

But after my first bite of big and juicy striped German, I have seen the light.

Heirlooms are just about to reach their peak right now, which means it’s time to make the most of them before they go away for almost a whole year. While for many people that means making and freezing jars of marinara sauce, my favorite way to use them is to cut them up in a salad with North Fork corn.

I cobbled together this salad myself with a lime vinaigrette recipe given to me by my mother-in-law.

If you prepare one thing this weekend, I highly recommend making this. You can stop by a number of local farm stands for the ingredients (here’s a list of a few that sell heirloom tomatoes.)

Bonus: It’s super easy and you will have leftovers for days.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 large heirloom tomato (I got mine from my weekly share from the all-organic Sang Lee Farms in Peconic)

2 ears of corn (I purchased a non-GMO variety from Long Season Farms in Aquebogue)

1 onion (I used scallions from Sang Lee, which are not the best variety to use in a salad, but will do)

1 red pepper (also from Sang Lee)

Bunch of parsley (grabbed from my garden)

1 can of black beans (purchased at a grocery store)

For the dressing:

2 limes, juiced

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions: Heat up the barbecue and roast corn for 15 minutes. Mix the dressing ingredients and set aside. When the corn is done, remove from the grill and slice it off the cob. Dice all other ingredients (except for parsley) and toss together with black beans and corn. Add dressing and let salad chill for one hour (who am I kidding, I can never wait). Garnish with parsley when you are ready to serve.

The best. (Credit: Vera Chinese)
The best. (Credit: Vera Chinese)
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