Seasonal Eating: Summer Fruits and Vegetables

Sunshine, seaside days, tenting, cookouts—there’s so much to like about summer season. My favourite a part of summer season is when the seasonal summer season greens hit my group farmer’s market. Strolling previous desk after desk laden with freshly picked berries, heirloom tomatoes, and inexperienced greens galore makes me joyful deep in my soul. 

Summer time’s additionally ripe (no pun meant) for getting out and digging within the dust in your personal yard or patio planter packing containers. Even in case you don’t have lots of house or a inexperienced thumb, you will get began with somewhat herb backyard or a single tomato plant. There’s one thing extremely satisfying about consuming meals you grew, even when it’s simply sprinkling recent parsley over your spaghetti squash chicken parmesan. You’ll really feel such as you’re starring in your personal cooking present when you grasp that strategy of sprinkling herbs and ending salt from excessive above the plate. Bam!

The purpose is, recent vegatables and fruits are one of many highlights of the season, so take full benefit of what these summer season months have to supply.

8 Summer time Fruits and Greens We Love

Asparagus

Relying on the place you reside, you may be capable of harvest asparagus anyplace from late winter to early summer season. Inexperienced asparagus is most typical, however don’t miss the chance to attempt the purple or white varieties in case you discover them. All sorts of asparagus are scrumptious grilled, sautéed, or roasted, however take care to not overcook it. Limp, slimy asparagus is lower than interesting. Ot, attempt shaving uncooked asparagus into salads utilizing a vegetable peeler.

• Easy methods to retailer asparagus: Trim the ends off the spears, then stand the asparagus upright in a jar of water within the fridge. Asparagus solely retains for a couple of days, so use it asap.
• Easy methods to protect asparagus: Asparagus could be frozen or strain canned, although each change the feel considerably (and never all the time pleasantly). Additionally attempt pickling it.
• Easy methods to freeze asparagus: Trim off the woody ends earlier than freezing. Optionally chop the spears into two or three items every. Blanch the asparagus for 2 minutes for skinny spears or as much as 4 minutes for thick spears. Freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet, then switch to an hermetic container.

Do that recipe: Asparagus Dip

Berries

Freshly picked berries are one of many absolute highlights of summer season. Even low-carb and keto people make allowances for berries attributable to their excessive dietary worth and comparatively low carbohydrate content material in comparison with lots of different fruits. You’ll discover all method of berries at your summer season farmer’s market, together with blueberries, strawberries, and “brambles,” the household of berries that features raspberries, boysenberries, blackberries, huckleberries, and marionberries, amongst others.

• Easy methods to retailer berries: To clean or to not wash, that’s the query… and there’s no clear reply. Some folks argue that you simply shouldn’t wash berries till you’re able to eat them. Others declare that you need to give them a dunk in a 3:1 answer of water and white vinegar to kill mildew spores and lengthen shelf life. (Besides raspberries—everybody appears to agree that you simply shouldn’t wash raspberries till simply earlier than consuming.) In case you go the vinegar bathtub route, allow them to soak for a minute or two, give them a superb rinse, and lay them out to dry on a kitchen towel. Both means, retailer berries within the fridge in a container lined with a skinny towel to soak up moisture. Reuse plastic clamshells from the shop or use a lined glass container, however preserve the lid cracked. Change out the towel if it turns into damp. Retailer several types of berries in separate containers, as some spoil sooner than others.
• Easy methods to protect berries: Freezing is one of the best ways to protect berries. You too can strain can them as preserves or jelly, however search for recipes that don’t comprise heaps of added sugar.

Attempt these recipes: Keto Cheesecake Parfait, Keto Blueberry Muffins

Cucumbers

Cucumbers have an extended and storied historical past as one of many first domesticated crops. What’s your favourite kind of cuke? It in all probability is determined by whether or not you grew up consuming the thicker-skinned slicing cucumbers most typical in America, English cucumbers with thinner skins and fewer seeds, smaller and extra delicate Persian cucumbers, or one thing else altogether. There are virtually 100 varieties to select from.

• Easy methods to retailer cucumbers: Cucumbers are joyful hanging out within the crisper drawer in your fridge.
• Easy methods to protect cucumbers: Pickles!

Do that recipe: Greek Salad with Spiralized Cucumber

Eggplant

Eggplants, aka aubergines, are a dietary staple all over the world. Enjoyable truth: regardless of their vegetably style, eggplants are literally fruit—berries, to be extra exact, as a result of they develop from a single flower.

• Easy methods to retailer eggplant: Eggplants don’t final lengthy after harvesting, they usually don’t like chilly. You may preserve them within the fridge for a day or two, however they’ll begin to wither after that.
• Easy methods to protect eggplant: You may attempt freezing or pickling, nevertheless it’s actually finest to eat eggplant recent.

Do that recipe: Roasted Eggplant Stuffed with Lamb

Inexperienced Beans, aka Snap Beans

Sure, inexperienced beans are legumes, however earlier than you toss that green bean casserole, I’ve excellent news. Inexperienced beans are, and have all the time been, thought of Primal-friendly so long as you don’t have any points consuming them. Recent inexperienced beans don’t have the identical phytate considerations as dried beans, and many people who keep away from dried beans can take pleasure in inexperienced beans with out challenge, no less than sometimes.

• Easy methods to retailer inexperienced beans: Hold in a storage bag within the crisper drawer. Attempt to use inside three days or so.
• Easy methods to protect inexperienced beans: Frozen and home-canned inexperienced beans are each implausible, or attempt pickling them.

Do that recipe: Air Fryer Green Beans

Herbs (Basil, Cilantro, Parsley, Chives, and so on.)

Herbs don’t simply make meals style good, in addition they supply a wide range of health benefits from antioxidant properties to treating digestive misery. All herbs flourish in the summertime. They’re straightforward to develop indoors or out, in small containers or giant backyard beds. Good for starting gardeners or people who wish to plant a small kitchen backyard.

• Easy methods to retailer herbs: When potential, wait to chop recent herbs till you might be prepared to make use of them. In case you purchase them from the market, pull off any useless leaves, trim the underside of the stems, and place bundles of herbs in jars of water like flower bouquets. Retailer jars of tender-stemmed herbs like parsley and cilantro within the fridge, optionally lined loosely with a meals storage bag. Woody herbs like rosemary, oregano, and thyme can keep on the counter. Basil must also keep on the counter; chilly temps make the leaves flip black. Refresh the water as wanted. Most herbs will preserve for a pair weeks or extra with this system.
• Easy methods to protect herbs: Relating to preserving herbs, you’ve two principal choices. The primary is drying–utilizing a dehydrator or let recent herbs dry within the solar. You may even use a microwave to dry herbs! The second is freezing– mix herbs in olive oil, avocado oil, or water, then freeze in ice dice trays. Oil-based herby sauces like pesto and chimichurri additionally freeze effectively jars or ice dice trays. Or make compound butter, which may also be frozen wrapped in freezer paper. (Tip, slice it earlier than freezing so you possibly can thaw particular person pats of butter as wanted.)

You too can use infuse recent herbs into oil, salt, or spirits like vodka or gin.

Attempt these recipes: Cauliflower Steaks with Chimichurri, Salmon with Pistachio Pesto

Tomatoes

Is there something extra quintessentially summer season than backyard recent tomatoes? There are one million and one methods to take pleasure in summer season tomatoes, so eat up! (And sure, for the file, tomatoes are a fruit.)

• Easy methods to retailer tomatoes: In case your tomatoes aren’t fairly ripe if you get them residence from the farmer’s market, you possibly can place them in a loosely closed paper bag on the counter to encourage ripening. For ripe tomatoes, there’s appreciable debate about whether or not the counter or the crisper is the suitable place to maintain them. Some say the crisper saps them of taste, so you need to solely refrigerate them in case you want them to remain recent for longer than a couple of days.
• Easy methods to protect tomatoes: Can complete tomatoes, chopped tomatoes, or one of many many salsa and sauce recipes that includes these delectable fruits. Salsa or sauces freeze effectively, too. Dry tomatoes and retailer them in oil.

Attempt these recipes: Garlic Balsamic Chicken Skillet with Cherry Tomatoes, Caprese Salad

Zucchini (and Different Summer time Squash)

Like eggplants, zucchini are botanically categorised as berries (as are cucumbers and pumpkins!) Zucchinis are prolific, which is why your neighbor with the inexperienced thumb is all the time making an attempt to pawn off extra zucchini come late summer season. They’re additionally extremely versatile as an ingredient in the whole lot from salads to desserts, so settle for any and all provides of free zucchini!

• Easy methods to retailer zucchini: Hold within the crisper and attempt to use inside a couple of days.
• Easy methods to protect zucchini: You may freeze zucchini, however in all probability finest methods to protect it are to make zucchini chips within the dehydrator or zucchini muffins or bread to stay within the freezer.

Attempt these recipes: Keto Zucchini Brownies, Zucchini Fries

Hope you’re having fun with a bounty of summer season greens proper now! What’s rising in your backyard?

In regards to the Creator

Lindsay Taylor, Ph.D., is a senior author and group supervisor for Primal Diet, a licensed Primal Well being Coach, and the co-author of three keto cookbooks.

As a author for Mark’s Every day Apple and the chief of the thriving Keto Reset and Primal Endurance communities, Lindsay’s job is to assist folks study the whats, whys, and hows of main a health-focused life. Earlier than becoming a member of the Primal group, she earned her grasp’s and Ph.D. in Social and Persona Psychology from the College of California, Berkeley, the place she additionally labored as a researcher and teacher.

Lindsay lives in Northern California along with her husband and two sports-obsessed sons. In her free time, she enjoys extremely working, triathlon, tenting, and sport nights. Observe alongside on Instagram @theusefuldish as Lindsay makes an attempt to juggle work, household, and endurance coaching, all whereas sustaining a wholesome stability and, most of all, having enjoyable in life.

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