"The right way to cook corn on the cob is to put the water on to boil and then go pick the corn," my friend said. At the time, I grew corn and was able to follow this advice. Corn takes up a lot of space though, so for many backyard gardeners, this is not an option.

The reason to get fresh corn on the cob is that as soon as it is picked, the sugars start to turn to starch. Fresh corn is sweeter and more tender. If we are ever tempted to buy cobs in early spring, we taste this. Who knows how long it took to get to the grocery store.

At the farmers market last week, people meandered through, stopping at their regular stalls to buy yogurt, veggies, meat. Then, as they approached my stall, they stopped in their tracks. "Aaaah," they said, or "Yes!" They were not looking at my books, but at the corn on the cob laid out at the stall next to mine. Some people asked where it was from or what kind it was, but most just calculated how many cobs they needed for dinner that night.

In this season, it is worth driving out of our way to go by the roadside stands at the farms that grow sweet corn. We know those cobs were picked that day.

When I first moved to the country, I scoffed at the idea of growing potatoes. They too take up a lot of space. "A potato is a potato," I thought. But the same principle applies: as soon as it comes of the ground, the sugars in the potato start to turn to starch. And with potatoes, over time, their skin changes texture as well. New potatoes are not the same as last years. Not at all.

Where I live now, I don't have room for potatoes or corn, but those I get at the market are fresh and lovely.

What I do have ripening are tomatoes. The ones I am growing are small, but they are ripening quickly in this heat. Warmed by the sun, they are tender and juicy and sweet. A real August gift.

The other August treat that the woman selling corn had was Niagara peaches. These did have to travel a few hours to get to Owen Sound, but peaches hold their flavour and texture well. I like to eat them warm, but I do keep them in the fridge to protect them and to discourage fruit flies. (Fruit flies are the one thing I do not like about August, though this year, I have escaped them. So far. Knock on wood.) I take a couple peaches at a time from the fridge to warm up in the fruit bowl so I can enjoy them.

I know some people don't like the fuzz on peaches and choose nectarines instead. But nectarines are firmer. There is nothing quite like the juicy softness of a peach.

The snow peas in my garden finished last week. That raised bed has been cleared, and a second planting put in the ground. With the rain that we finally got, the seeds have sprouted. I am hoping for a good second crop.

This year I planted pole beans with the morning glory. The first handful of beans were ready last week. I know that seems late, but here by the shore, with the wind off the water, nights stay cooler longer, and the earth takes longer to warm up. We're a couple weeks behind most gardens. It does mean we don't get frost as early though. The fresh beans are tasty.

I've been going to the market since the last week of April. At that time, there were a few greens--a local grower of micro-greens and someone who brings veggies from farther south and from greenhouses. A farmer had last year's potatoes and onions. Now, there is an abundance, and some of it has travelled less than a half hour to get to us.

We do still need to eat fruits and vegetables in December. We can find local apples that keep well, and older potatoes can be made into a good meal. But from the first strawberries of late June through the ripening plants of each week of summer, the gifts of harvest come to us one by one.

Cathy Hird lives on the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation