Pairing up tried and true recipes with all the veggies from your garden, farmers market, or weekly CSA box!
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Whether you’ve got a full blown veg garden, or a weekly delivery from your CSA, sometimes that bountiful produce gets the better of us.
No worries, I’ve rounded up my freshest garden recipes to inspire you to use up every juicy tomato, and every last darn zucchini summer can throw at you!
The Veggies
SUMMER SQUASH/ZUCCHINI
Zucchini is known for being…productive, and by the end of summer we can’t give the stuff away. But armed with the right sweet and savory recipes, you might start hoarding that surplus.
TOMATOES
Most of us don’t need any help eating the delicious, sun-warmed bounty from our tomato plants, but if you’re looking for some new inspiration, I’ve got plenty of garden recipes that’ll do justice to your prized specimens.
- Summer Tomato Flight
- Tomato Toast with Basil Mayonnaise
- Old Fashioned Tomato Jam
- Fried Green Tomatoes
- Pesto Pasta with Blistered Tomatoes
- Shirazi Salad (Persian Cucumber Tomato Salad)
- Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho
- Fried Green Tomato BLT’s
- Cherry Tomatoes Provençal
- Cherry Tomato Focaccia
PEPPERS
Peppers don’t always get as much attention in the summer, when tomatoes and summer fruits are stealing all the limelight, but I love them for their bright flavors and versatility in the kitchen!
- Spiced Lamb and Couscous Stuffed Peppers
- Habanero Nectarine Jam
- Sweet Hot Red Pepper Jam
- Grilled Shishito Peppers
- Sheet Pan Peppers and Brats
- Spaghetti Peperonata with Tuna and Olives
CUCUMBERS
Pickles, of course, but there’s lots more you can do with garden cukes, so bring ’em on!
- Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono)
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Cucumber Melon Salad
- Quick and Spicy Refrigerator Pickles
- Corn and Cucumber Salad
- Lentil Salad Recipe with Cucumber and Mint
SWISS CHARD
I love Swiss chard, it’s so beautiful, and easy to grow. But what to do with it? There aren’t a lot of chard recipes out there! Try using it in place of other greens in recipes that call for spinach, kale, or collard greens.
GREEN BEANS
The snap and crunch of fresh beans is so good it’s best not to mess with them too much. I’ll steam them, pickle them, and fry them, but once or twice a year they’ll star in my favorite decadent casserole!
- Dilly Bean Salad
- Fried Green Beans
- Favorite Green Bean Casserole from scratch!
- Green Beans Almondine
- Refrigerator Dilly Beans
- French Potato Salad with Green Beans
BASIL
Basil might be the queen of the summer garden, there’s nothing else quite like it. By the end of season it has literally exploded, so best keep these recipes handy.
- Creamy Lemon Basil Pasta
- Basil Pesto Recipe
- Fresh Basil Hummus
- Basil Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes
- Basil Marinated Mozzarella with summer tomatoes
CABBAGE
Cabbages are such fun to grow in the garden with their dramatic size and lovely dusty green/blue colors. I use cabbage raw and cooked, all summer long and into the fall and winter. It may not be the most glamorous vegetable in the garden, but it’s a true hero in my book.
- Favorite Vinegar Coleslaw Recipe
- Green Goddess Coleslaw
- Thai Chicken Salad
- Easy Stuffed Cabbage Casserole
- Roast Chicken with Potatoes, Apples and Brown Cabbage
- Red Cabbage and Dill Slaw
- Fried Cabbage and Bacon Slaw
- Cabbage and Fennel Slaw
- Creamy Buttermilk Coleslaw
- Braised Red Cabbage
EGGPLANT
Eggplants are one of the heartier veggies to come out of my summer garden, and I love using them as the main attraction in a dish. Roasting or grilling them brings out amazing, sweet flavor.
- Grilled Baby Eggplant with Minted Yogurt and Pomegranate
- Pasta Alla Norma
- A Classic Moussaka Recipe
- Smokey Baba Ganoush
KALE
Kale is beloved by gardeners for its ability to provide fresh leafy greens from mid summer right up to the first frosts of the fall. This healthy veggie can be used in so many different ways, raw or cooked, and I love the different varieties you can get when you grow your own. Use any of them interchangeably in these recipes.
RADISHES
Radishes are the unsung heroes of the summer garden. They’re small but mighty ~ with a bold spicy flavor that goes with everything.
- French Breakfast Radishes with Tarragon Butter
- Creamy Spring Onion and Radish Dip
- Shaved Apple and Radish Salad
- Shaved Vegetable Salad
- Creamy Homemade Horseradish Sauce (from scratch!)
BEETS
I adore beets, I actually think they’re one of the prettiest summer veggies.
- Roasted Beet and Burrata Salad
- Grapefruit and Roasted Beet Salad
- Summer beet and corn salad
- Beet Salad with Sour Cream and Dill
- Summer Couscous Salad
- Wheat Berry Salad with Beets and Feta
CARROTS
Carrots from the garden are a treat, and there are so many ways to enjoy them, from a quick pickle to a full on classic layer cake!
- Quick Pickled Rainbow Carrots
- Puff Pastry Carrot Tart
- French Carrot Salad
- Rye and Carrot Salad
- Spring Carrot Soufflé Recipe
- Classic Carrot Cake
- Japanese Carrot Ginger Dressing
BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Brussels sprouts take a long time to mature in the garden, so make sure you’re prepared to let those sprouts shine with the perfect recipe once they’re finally ready to harvest!
BROCCOLI
Broccoli can go super healthy or super comforting depending on your mood. Keep it light and crisp in the summer with a healthy slaw, and bring on the comfort food in early fall with a cheesy dip or soup!
LETTUCE
The easiest of all to grow, and probably the most useful, from a simple wedge to a show-stopping main course salad.
- Green Goddess Wedge Salad
- Crispy Chicken Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
- Firecracker Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Hearts of Lettuce with Thousand Island Dressing
- Fried Chicken Cobb Salad
- Salmon Caesar Salad
Only recently found your recipes and I love them. Easy, Healthy just the kind of food we love.