We asked photographer Ashley Hafstead to trawl northern New Mexico farmers markets and farm stands to find the very finest produce the season has to offer. She shares a cornucopia of fresh fruit and vegetable finds then creates an edible tablescape for summertime entertaining inspiration.
Supply Your Kitchen With Fresh New Mexico Produce
Radish and Onions
Ruby red radishes that only need a quick rinse, a lick of butter, and a sprinkle of sea salt for the perfect snack. Slice them thinly on salads or gobble them whole. New season onions are so sweet you can eat them raw or brush thick slices with olive oil and give them a kiss of fire from the barbecue.
Sunflowers
Vincent Van Gogh said that for him, sunflowers meant gratitude. While roses may be refined, sunflowers are unashamedly joyous, exuberant, and a potent reminder of the sunny spirit of summer.
Eggplants
The story goes that original eggplants were white and oval shaped and thus earned their name ‘egg-plant’. Today, we have more of a choice whether it’s a slender eggplant the color of a purply night or a Zebra with undulating stripes of purple and white. The heat of summer brings out the best in eggplant, producing a glorious profusion of shapes and colors from the deepest purple to green, and yes, white.
Green Beans
Beans in jewel tones of creamy yellow, purply blue, and of course green. So fresh you can eat them raw or gently steam them and toss with a glug of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.
Cabbages, Melon, Kale and Artichokes
Summer is a show off but can you blame her? Bite into a slice of melon and wait for the juice to trickle down your chin. An artichoke that asks only for a dish of melted butter. Cabbages and kale that are frilly, edible artworks. A cornucopia of nature’s bounty.
Flowers
Fresh cut flowers direct from the field make winter flowers look tawdry in comparison. No need for complicated arranging – a jar or jug is all that’s needed. A taste of the great outdoors, brought indoors for summer living that blurs the lines between the two.
Peaches
Peaches – along with its stone fruit friends – are a joy of summer. They don’t linger and demand a place on your plate (or better yet, held in your hand). Scatter slices on a rough disc of dough for a rustic galette. Cook up into a jam for a winter reminder of what summer tastes like. Eat. Enjoy. Repeat.
Table Setting
The table is set. The wine is chilled. It’s that moment – that brief, delicious moment – before the guests arrive. A calmness and peace and pause. Summer dining is casual dining. The freshest fruit and vegetables do the heavy lifting. Your job is simply to let them shine. Your table is the same – a cornucopia cascades down the table. An edible wonderland that hints at the deliciousness to come.
Story by Julia Platt Leonard
Photography by Ashley Hafstead
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