Late Summer Fruits & Veggies

Late Summer Fruits & Veggies

Maxine September 7, 2021

Nothing tastes as delectable as in-season produce which has been sun kissed, field ripened, and fresh picked, providing the perfect combination for appetizing, nutrient dense fruits and vegetables. It’s late Summer season on our farm and did you know that so many wonderful items are still being harvested including ; peppers, tomatoes, sweet corn, eggplant,… Read More »

Nothing tastes as delectable as in-season produce which has been sun kissed, field ripened, and fresh picked, providing the perfect combination for appetizing, nutrient dense fruits and vegetables. It’s late Summer season on our farm and did you know that so many wonderful items are still being harvested including ; peppers, tomatoes, sweet corn, eggplant, peaches, plums, pears, melons, summer squash, beans, and fresh herbs.

This late Summer produce is just bursting with fresh aromas, colors and flavors and is plentiful in our farm store, at our farmers markets, and in our pick your own fields. Just walking through the farm store or our fields you can find so many items that provide inspiration to spark up that grill or stove and create something delicious. Now is also a perfect time to think about preserving some of your favorite produce to enjoy later this year. 

We’ve put together a top ten late summer veggies list for you to savor eating homegrown and in season. Try one, try all, and have fun with your food. Our culinary & education specialist has also prepared a wonderful and easy recipe featuring tomatoes, peppers, summer squash & sweet corn, where you can easily get your daily dose of veggies! Get the recipe here!

1. Tomatoes – Warm days and hot summer sun has concentrated the flavor of tomatoes this time of year and we still have abundant tomatoes available on our farm right now. Try making fresh bruschetta or using it in homemade soups, salsas, gazpachos, or bottle your own Bloody Mary Mix.  Consider canning to enjoy fresh tasting sauce once the harvest is done.  
2. Sweet Corn – There’s nothing like the flavor of farm fresh sweet corn. So delicious it can be eaten raw or lightly steamed. Try grilling for smoky flavor and use in salads, fritters, soups or rice dishes. Did you know that you can freeze your own sweet corn to have during those bleak winter months? Frozen corn is a great addition to winter stews, soups, tacos or casseroles. 
3. Peppers – fresh sweet peppers can be a great vessel for stuffing, either vegetarian or meat. You can also quickly blanch peppers then flash freeze them to use later on in your dishes. Hot peppers are great for adding flavors to recipes and are also great for pickling, making salsa or chutneys. 
4. Eggplant – is plentiful right now and is wonderful grilled or baked on it’s own or in pastas, tastes great mashed into dips or can be preserved into a simple caponata to enjoy the flavor of eggplant once the harvest is over. 
5. Melons – there are so many ways to enjoy fresh melons, in salads, salsas or in refreshing drinks. You can also make a great watermelon rind pickle to enjoy later or freeze the juice to use in drinks and cocktails.
6. Peaches – are great used fresh in sangrias, or baked into muffins, crisps and cobblers. It tastes great when grilled as a side to meat main dish, preserved in jams, chutneys or frozen and used in smoothies or fruit sauces. Plums – are delicious cooked with meats, baked into desserts, infused into liqueurs or made into jams & jellies.
7. Herbs – use fresh or create dried herbs. They are easy to freeze in oil or water and then used in soups and stews. Salt or sugar curing is a great way to preserve herbs or try fresh herbs in compound butters, cheese spreads, to create flavorful marinades, mix them into salads, blend them into dips or dressings or make an herb simple syrup to use in drinks and more. 
8. Summer squash – Great roasted or stuffed, steamed, shredded raw into salads, cooked casseroles, or baked goods. Used in stir fries, or as a great substitute for potato fries and noodles. Caned into relish or sliced and frozen for use at a later date. 
9. Beans – full of flavor they add crunch to salads, pair great as a side or can be pickled to preserve. Beans can also be blanched and flash frozen to be stored longer term.
10. Pears – pears are wonderful eaten fresh out of hand, fresh in salads, slaws or cheeses or baked into cobblers, desserts, cakes and crumbles. Pears are also great for savory relishes which compliments meat so well.

We hope the above list will inspire you to cook with one or more of your favorites for dinner this week or experiment with preserving them to savor when the harvest is done. 

Best wishes from our Farm Kitchen to Yours!