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" One of the great advantages of summer is the bounty of fresh produce the season has to offer. To ensure you score the cream of the crop, grab a few reusable shopping bags and head to your local farmer&amp;#039;s market, where you&amp;#039;ll not only score the freshest\u2014and therefore tastiest\u2014finds available, but where you&amp;#039;ll also have the opportunity to support local farms. Prices are often comparable to what you&amp;#039;ll find at your local supermarket, but even if they are slightly more expensive, you&amp;#039;ll be buying top-notch produce that hasn&amp;#039;t been shipped over long distances\u2014meaning it&amp;#039;ll stay fresher for longer. Follow our guide below for tips on selecting what&amp;#039;s best right now and how to make your picks last, plus recipe recommendations that showcase the season&amp;#039;s bumper crop.  Tomatoes  Selecting: If you&amp;#039;re used to shopping for tomatoes at the grocery store\u2014which are bred and selected for their uniform roundness\u2014don&amp;#039;t be deterred by a little variance in color and shape when you hit the farmer&amp;#039;s market. &amp;quot;You&amp;#039;re going to see things that are going to look malformed and be many different colors, and that does not matter,&amp;quot; says Jordan Frosolone, executive chef of August restaurant in New York City. Whether they&amp;#039;re red, orange, yellow, green; striped or striated; oblong, oval or round, in-season tomatoes are far more flavorful and juicier because they are picked at the peak of ripeness\u2014versus tomatoes at the supermarket, which are picked when they are still green and gas-ripened, resulting in a mealier, less flavorful fruit. Look for tomatoes that are soft and somewhat giving, but not mushy.  Storing: Keep tomatoes out on the kitchen counter; storing them in the fridge inhibits the flavor and halts ripening. &amp;quot;We think that everything has to be refrigerated, but, you know, these are fresh! Plus, leaving them out is a good reminder for you to use them,&amp;quot; says Aimee Olexy, co-owner of Talula&amp;#039;s Garden in Philadelphia. If they&amp;#039;re very ripe upon purchase, use them immediately. If under-ripe, let them sit out for several days before eating. Photo: Thinkstock Try it in: Tuna-Stuffed Tomatoes and Grilled Tomato Soup &amp;amp;amp; Cheddar Sandwiches Corn  Selecting: Avoid dry, brittle husks or those showing rot (white or pink mold or greenish-black marks at the tip or base). The ear should be heavy and moist with kernels intact, firm and plump. Frosolone recommends asking the vendor to cut off a raw kernel or two so you can sample the corn (the sweeter, the better). &amp;quot;That&amp;#039;s one of the most beautiful things about shopping at a farmer&amp;#039;s market,&amp;quot; he says. &amp;quot;Ask to try it or ask for ideas on how to cook it\u2026you have the resource of the farmer at your disposal. Plus, they want you to try it and to continue to shop with them.&amp;quot;  Storing: Use the corn as soon as possible. If you can&amp;#039;t use it the day-of, store it in the refrigerator, removing the husks and placing the cobs in a container lined with a towel or paper towel to absorb moisture. Photo: Thinkstock Try it in:Shrimp and Corn Chowder or Corn on the Cob with Chili Salt Eggplant  Selecting: Eggplant should be dark and firm. A soft skin &amp;quot;means it&amp;#039;s been picked too long ago. And when they get old, they become a little bitter,&amp;quot; Olexy says. &amp;quot;A freshly picked eggplant will taste really creamy, smooth and fragrant.&amp;quot; Storing: Leave it whole and store it in the refrigerator, preferably for no more than four or five days. Photo: Thinkstock Try it in: Grilled Eggplant Parmesan Pizza or Eggplant, Basil and Fresh Mozzarella Penne Zucchini  Selecting: Opt for small zucchini; they&amp;#039;ll be more flavorful. &amp;quot;The problem with larger zucchini is that the seeds start to get really big\u2026they just become very mushy and don&amp;#039;t cook really well,&amp;quot; Frosolone says. It should have skin that&amp;#039;s smooth and unblemished. Storing: Zucchini is hardier than you think: You can keep it on the counter or in the fridge. However, refrigerating it will allow it to last longer than two or three days. Photo: Thinkstock Try it in:Lemony Chicken Kebabs with Zucchini Salad or Spaghetti with Roasted Zucchini Mushrooms  Selecting: Steer clear of wild mushrooms, advises Olexy. Cultivated mushrooms are a safer bet, and just as delicious. Review the signage at the booth to determine the type of mushrooms being sold. If there are no signs or labels, ask the vendor where the mushrooms came from. Look for mushrooms that are &amp;quot;nice and springy,&amp;quot; Olexy says. &amp;quot;They shouldn&amp;#039;t look dried out on the ends or dried out at all. \u2026They should look moist and firm.&amp;quot; Storing: Because of their moisture levels, always store mushrooms in the refrigerator. When prepping them for use, wipe them clean of excess debris with a damp paper towel instead of rinsing. &amp;quot;Water makes them brown and that&amp;#039;s why a lot of people don&amp;#039;t do that, especially if you&amp;#039;re going to use them raw,&amp;quot; Olexy says. Photo: Thinkstock Try it in: Spicy Mushroom and Parsley Linguine or Escarole, Red Onion, Mushroom &amp;amp;amp; Egg Salad Peaches  Selecting: Select peaches that soft yet still a bit firm to the touch. If using them for a dessert, use peaches that are on the softer side. Storing: Although you can store peaches in the refrigerator, for maximum flavor Frosolone advises against it. &amp;quot;You definitely don&amp;#039;t want to refrigerate them. You want to leave them in the natural environment,&amp;quot; he says. When storing on the counter, eat the peaches as soon as possible. Otherwise, &amp;quot;you&amp;#039;re opening yourself up to fruit flies and all of that kind of stuff,&amp;quot; Frosolone says. Photo: iStock Try it in:Grilled Chicken and Peaches Salad or Raspberry-Peach Trifle Melons  Selecting: When it comes to cantaloupe, watermelon, honey dew and other melons, it&amp;#039;s difficult to know from the outside exactly what you&amp;#039;re buying. Smelling, shaking or other purported methods won&amp;#039;t tell you much. If the farmer has samples cut up, be sure to try them. The melon should have a high-water content, be slightly sweet and not too mealy. If you can&amp;#039;t taste the goods, avoid anything that&amp;#039;s rock hard; the rind should give slightly when you press it.  Storing: Melons are best kept in the refrigerator, where they can last well up to a week. Before slicing, Olexy says it&amp;#039;s important to wash the melon. &amp;quot;Melons have been sitting on the ground for some time\u2026and if I&amp;#039;m growing melons, my chickens will love to stand on them.&amp;quot; she says. Peel, cover and refrigerate any unused, leftover melon. Photo: iStock Try it in:Arugula, Melon and Prosciutto Salad or Melon Granitas Figs  Selecting: Fresh figs are a special find in the summer. It&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;a perfect food where you just rinse it off and you don&amp;#039;t have to do anything else,&amp;quot; Olexy says. She recommends looking for figs that are soft to the touch and feel like peach fuzz. &amp;quot;They should be soft, smooth and heavy in your hand. If it&amp;#039;s too light for its size, it might be hollow and dried out.&amp;quot; Storing: If they&amp;#039;re ripe, place them in your fridge to slow the ripening process. If the figs are just about to ripen, keep them on your kitchen counter. After all, Olexy adds, eating them at room temperature is best. Photo: Thinkstock Try it in: Arugula salad with blue cheese or stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in bacon.   "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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