RED CURRANTS
The summer pavlovas and lemon tarts at Wild Crumb are sometimes topped with curls of red currants. Both red currants and the bakery case at Wild Crumb are reminders that eating begins with our eyes and follows to taste and texture. Tiny bursts of tartness make sweet cream all the more delightful, so don’t set currants aside as if they’re mere garnish.
Find red currants at farmers markets, U-picks, and the Bozeman Community Food Co-op, or grow them in your garden after buying a bush from a local nursery. Cold-hardy Ribes rubrum, or Red Lake Currants, grow long, loose clusters of bright translucent berries that you can gather for a few weeks midsummer. Use them on plates of prosciutto and melon drizzled with olive oil and a shower of freshly ground black pepper or on toasted rye with a smear of cream cheese. Keep currants refrigerated; a slightly damp paper towel helps keep them plump.
CILANTRO
Cilantro is a make-or-break ingredient for salsas, from salsa verde to fruit salsas like mango, pineapple, and classic tomato. Summer is the season for fresh condiments like these and if you enjoy them, consider growing cilantro so that you can make salsa whenever the produce speaks.
To grow, simply start with a baby plant or seed, in ground or in a pot. Cilantro grows quickly under the summer sun. Once stems begin to fill out, pluck what you need regularly, which will keep the plant producing and prevent bolting (going to flower). At the close of the season, allow the plant to flower and you’ll be rewarded with coriander seed, which you can dry and keep for cooking.
PATTYPAN SQUASH
Usually bright yellow but sometimes green, white, bi-colored, or variegated, pattypan squash is known by many names including sunburst, flying saucer, scalloped squash, button squash, jaune et verte, and cibleme (target) in the Cajun South. Like acorn squash featured in our Winter 2026 “In Season,” pattypan is known botanically as Cucurbita pepo along with zucchini, crookneck, and straightneck yellow squash. I like cooking with pattypans because of their uniform size and firm texture compared to zucchini and crookneck.
To prepare pattypan, remove the stem and blossom bit from the opposite end, cut in half, slice, and cook in a hot pan with a bit of olive oil, coconut oil, butter, or ghee. It’s done when caramelized to your liking. For a succotash, after you cook squash with a shallot or green garlic, add corn cut from the cob, chopped chives, and either basil or tarragon. Cook for just a minute or two more.
Pattypans are an ideal shape for stuffing, especially with a mixture of ground beef and lamb as in Petits Farçis à la Provençal (recipe available at ripefoodandwine.com). For a special treat, cut into ¼-inch pieces, dredge in beaten egg then in flour, and fry in ¼-inch-deep hot oil. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate.
