Heather Parlato

Late summer is a great time for capsicum peppers of all types, from mild bell peppers to hot chili peppers like jalapeños and habañeros. Since peppers are such a large family with so many different uses, today we'll look at hot peppers and how you can use them seasonally, and put them up for use year-round.

After recently reading about all the superhero qualities of purslane, I knew I'd want to profile it and encourage everyone to eat this succulent annual that comes around every summer. Purslane is a leafy vegetable mostly sold in farmer's markets, though it is often considered a weed when found in gardens, due to its hardy qualities—but it's a beneficial weed, since it helps out neighboring plants. It's a great food to forage, since it's easily identifiable and rather prolific in the southern california landscape.

Another stone fruit for the height of summer, this week we're looking at peaches. Originating in China and migrating to Persia along the Silk Road, peaches were referenced in ancient Chinese writings as early as 1100 BC and were said to be a favored fruit of kings and emperors.

The other day, while shopping at the Farmers' Market, I saw a sweet corn vendor chopping up ears of raw corn into sample-sized bites and encouraging passers to taste them. I hadn't actually tried raw corn, so I took one and was pleasantly surprised to find it's tender, delicious and refreshing right off the table. I'll admit, I haven't eaten much corn in my life, mostly due to thinking it required a lot of cooking. A recent radio show (probably "Good Food" but I didn't catch which one) featured a story on corn, and the suggestion that the best way to have it was just heated through on the grill, with your favorite seasoning. And now that I tasted it raw, I knew it was true.

July is National Parks & Recreation Month, and all month long LAist will be featuring a hand-selected park a day to showcase just a few of the wonderful recreation spaces--big or small--in the Los Angeles area.

With summer in full swing, it's time to get yourself some ripe, juicy sun-sweetened melons while they're ripe and delicious. Muskmelons are part of the larger family of gourds and squash, including popular varieties such as cantaloupe and honeydew. Muskmelons are said to have origins in Iran and Armenia, with some varieties evolving in India, Africa and Afghanistan.

One of the marks of summer are stone fruits coming into season. They're all over the markets lately, so let's start with deep red, delicious plums. They can be tart or sweet, and range in color from deep red to light yellow-green. Evidence of fruit pits found in Armenian archaeological sites suggest they originated there, but they're used the world over in condiments, candies and liqueurs in addition to a fresh fruit.

July is National Parks & Recreation Month, and all month long LAist will be featuring a hand-selected park a day to showcase just a few of the wonderful recreation spaces--big or small--in the Los Angeles area.

July is National Parks & Recreation Month, and all month long LAist will be featuring a hand-selected park a day to showcase just a few of the wonderful recreation spaces--big or small--in the Los Angeles area.

July is National Parks & Recreation Month, and all month long LAist will be featuring a hand-selected park a day to showcase just a few of the wonderful recreation spaces--big or small--in the Los Angeles area.