Serves 6 (dinner-sized portions); Recipe by Courtney McDonald

Ingredients:
-1 medium watermelon, rind removed (discard) and diced into 1 inch chunks
-4 large heirloom tomatoes, hulled and diced into 1 inch chunks
-3 ears fresh corn, kernels removed
-1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
-juice and zest of 2 limes
-1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
-1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or basil leaves
-salt, to taste
-chili powder, to taste
-1 cup cotija cheese, crumbled

In a large mixing bowl, combine the diced watermelon, tomato, corn kernels and sliced red onion. Add the lime juice, olive oil, and chopped cilantro, stir gently. Season to taste with the salt and chili powder. Transfer salad to a serving bowl and crumble the cotija cheese over the top. Serve immediately!

Cat­e­gory: Side Dish

Plac­er­Grown ingre­di­ents used: Meyer Lemons, Wine

Ingre­di­ents:

• 2 pounds large fresh assorted mushrooms
• 1 Table­spoon olive oil
• 6 Table­spoons sweet butter
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots
• 4 gar­lic cloves — very finely minced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1/2 tea­spoon salt
• Freshly ground black pep­per — to taste
• 1/2 cups Madeira wine
• Juice of 1 lemon

Instruc­tions:
Heat oil in 12 inch skil­let over medium high heat until sim­mer­ing. Add mush­rooms and cook, stir­ring occa­sion­ally, until mush­rooms release liq­uid, about 5 min­utes. Increase heat to high and cook, stir­ring occa­sion­ally, until liq­uid had com­pletely evap­o­rated, about 8 min­utes longer. Add but­ter, reduce heat to medium, and con­tinue to cook, stir­ring once every minute, until mush­rooms are dark brown, about 8 min­utes longer. Add shal­lots, gar­lic and pars­ley and cook until soft­ened, about 3 min­utes. Add Madeira and cook until liq­uid has evap­o­rated, about 2 min­utes. Sea­son with salt and pep­per to taste, turn out into a heated veg­etable dish, and sprin­kle with fresh lemon juice, serve imme­di­ately with a crusty bread. Serves 8 to 10.

Serves 6 – recipe by Courtney McDonald

Ingredients:
-1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
-1 large yellow or white onion, thinly sliced
-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
-2 medium butternut, kabocha or other hard squash, peeled