So, did you see any red, white and blue potato salad over the Fourth of July? Or a red, white and blue dessert? Maybe you were the culinary artist of such patriotic cuisine.

That’s the beauty of food. Literally. Even those of us who can’t draw stick people with a ruler can craft a meal so colorful, it’s a shame to destroy it by eating it. Combining pale green gooseberries and bold blue blueberries into the same bowl with deep red raspberries bring the passionate colors of French painter Paul Gauguin to mind. Why not use nature’s palette in the kitchen?

Farmers markets are starting to look like summer now, with more red and yellow hues interrupting lush expanses of green.

Tomatoes

Only the most determined gardeners — willing to coddle plants by covering and uncovering them through dicey spring weather — have tomatoes this early. Real farmers with big hoop houses have them; they know customers will pay a king’s ransom for summer’s first vine-ripened tomato. The small early tomatoes seem to be the sweetest. Dr. James Myers, horticulture professor at Oregon State University, says there is an association between fruit size and sugar content, and he thinks warm temperatures might be essential for good sugar production. That must be why the same variety of larger tomato tastes different in August. He adds that perceived sweetness is the balance between acid and sugars. A tomato with high sugar levels may not taste sweet because the acid levels are too high. No matter the balance, eyes roll heavenward as the first tomato slices alternate with sweet onions and basil in sandwiches. Even a king’s ransom can’t buy that in winter.

Gooseberries

Uncommon nowadays, I did see gooseberries at the farmers market. I didn’t know what they were until I planted a couple of bushes a decade ago. The lovely little green balls blush rose when ready to pick. They’re tart, and you must remove the stems and end “hairs” — a task few have the patience for anymore. They’re best known in Britain, where “gooseberry fool” is as common a dessert as apple pie is here.

According to Cook’s Illustrated Magazine, fool made with gooseberries is firmer than when other berries are used because of its naturally high pectin content. They also recommend using traditional custard instead of the more common (easier) whipped cream in modern recipes. Because gooseberries are sometimes hard to find, Cook’s Illustrated came up with a recipe using strawberries and raspberries instead. Find it in the May/June 2008 issue at the library. Gooseberries freeze beautifully.

Blueberries

No need to describe these for Oregonians! The only problem with blueberries is that birds like ’em as much as humans do, and they wait on the fence for the exact moment of ripeness. Frustrating as they are, birds are right: blueberries are best straight off the bush. They’re the easiest berry to grow, pick, freeze and use. They’re the perfect taste and color complement to other fruits in a salad — and gorgeous on greens with goat cheese.

Contact Chris at localfood@peak.org.