The Mueller Farm, on Kammerer Road east of Kendallville, Indiana, photographed in rain June 4, 2007, by Mark Nickel

Tomato, Corn, and Black Bean Salad

As with most recipes in Keepers, the amounts given here are a mere starting point. Depending on what your garden offers up or on what the nearby farm stand has on display, more or less of any ingredient is perfectly fine. The recipe doubles nicely and would probably quintuple for a large crowd. Freshness is everything. The original used cherry tomatoes, red onion, and basil from our backyard garden, corn from DeCastro’s farm stand, and organic frijoles negros from a can.

Have ready:

3 or 4 ears of sweet corn, undercooked and cut from the cob
At least a dozen cherry tomatoes fresh from the vine, halved
1/3 cup minced red onion
1 can black beans (ca. 16 oz.)
1/3 cup fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tbls wine vinegar (red or white)
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper (preferably ground white) to taste

Cut the corn from one cob and put into a small deep bowl. Add the garlic, vinegar and olive oil (roughly 2.5 to 1, oil to vinegar). Purée with a stick blender or in a food processor. Add salt and pepper to taste, starting with a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a little less pepper. Give it one last blast with the stick blender or processor, then cut up the basil leaves directly into the bowl. (I make a stack of half a dozen leaves at a time and finely snip them with a kitchen scissors. Mincing with a knife would work well too.) Stir and set aside. Once it’s snipped and in the bowl, don’t hit the basil with the heavy equipment.

Rinse the black beans, shake dry, and put them into a somewhat larger bowl. Pour about half of the vinegar-oil-corn mixture over the beans, stir to coat and set aside. (Use dry beans if you like, soaking them overnight and simmering them for a couple hours.)

Cut the corn from the remaining cobs and add it to the bowl with the reserved vinegar-oil mixture. (To get full flavor, I scrape the cobs with the back of a knife and add the scrapings to the bowl.) Stir to combine and to break up clumps of kernels. Add the red onion and stir again.

Pour the corn-onion mixture into the beans, scraping every last bit of the sauce from the bowl. Stir to combine. Lastly, add the halved tomatoes and gently fold them into the corn and beans. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Cover and refrigerate for an hour before serving.