Critics’ pick

Photograph: Talia Simhi

Just shoot me These days, when anyone can pluck tomatoes and watermelons from supermarket shelves in February, corn on the cob is one of those rare foods whose seasonality still seems sacred. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get an earful this time of year—and we’re not suggesting you scarf a bag of Fritos. Instead, try the corn shoots from Windfall Farms, the Montgomery, New York–based operation whose bounty of precious microgreens graces the Union Square Greenmarket every Wednesday and Saturday. Upon first bite, the pale yellow-to-celery-colored leaves have a watery crunch, then erupt in a flavor that’s sweet and intensely corny. Raw shoots can be eaten alone or sprinkled on salads, sandwiches, risottos or anywhere else you want a flourish of corn. (To extend their relatively short refrigerator life, we store them in plastic bags lined with paper towel to absorb excess moisture.) Tim Wersan, who manages the farm’s Greenmarket stand, tells us they can sprout corn shoots any time of year, so if they remain popular, Windfall will continue growing them into the summer, along with that stuff on the cob. $12 per quarter pound.

—Alissa Dicker Schrieber

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