I picked most of my corn last weekend. Since I don’t spray pesticides, I usually have a small worm chewing on the tip of the corn. That earworm is actually the larva hatched from an egg the adult moth lays in the silk of the corn. When the egg hatches, the young larva feeds on the silk and ultimately the corn.

While the worm may look gross, it’s not a big deal to cut off the damaged part of the corn and process as usual. In fact, I feel better about corn from my garden or purchased at the farmers’ markets because I know it’s healthier and I expect the worm. When buying pesticide-free corn, try to look under the silk and get the ones with less earworm damage.

I grilled some of the corn and cut the kernels from the cob. I’ve printed that recipe before, so go to my website and search on the word “corn” for grilling tips. I also grilled turkey chorizo links to go with the corn. The buttery, smoky sweetness of the grilled corn was amazing with the spicy taste of chorizo.

Roma tomatoes and cucumbers are doing well in the garden, so I collected some of those and found a handful of dill that the grasshoppers hadn’t demolished… yet. I made a citrus-dill marinade for tomatoes, cucumbers and red onions to go with the corn and chorizo.

Citrus and Dill Marinade
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 Tbsp. dill, chopped
2 tsp. salt
½ tsp. cracked black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a pint-sized jar and give it a good shake. The marinade is then ready to be poured over tomatoes, cucumbers and red onion slices. Let the vegetables with marinade sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving.

I topped mixed greens with the marinated vegetables and used the juice as the salad dressing. Adding a few crumbles of feta cheese on top of the salad and skipping the chorizo makes this meal vegetarian. Refrigerate leftover marinade and use it as salad dressing later in the week.