It's the last leg of summer before we start heading into Fall, so it's time to use up our hot weather vegetables. As you can tell from the image below, July and August are some of the most abundant months in Seattle (and in many parts of the US!) All these fruits and vegetables are just perfect for summertime weather!
Berries
It feels strange to lump all of these but all the berries are in season! You can get strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, boysenberries, gooseberries, raspberries - you name it - in the market.
Organic Meter: 🟢
Studies show that strawberries are one of the fruits containing high levels of pesticide residue even after washing. Others are not too far off. Plus, given that we eat the skin of these berries, I recommend going organic on this one!
- Strawberry shortcake cookies: You won't regret making these cookies (and it's a huge reader favorite!) You can use fresh or frozen strawberries, and either stuff with cream cheese or not - they're fluffy, and delicious either way.
- Mixed berry compote: Honestly, nothing screams summer like this mixed berry compote. It's divine on French toasts and desserts! Plus, you can always freeze the berries and make this later too.
- Easy 15 minute berry galette: It doesn't get easier than this! Grab yourself some pastry dough, grab some berries, and get it in the oven. Your delicious berry galette will be ready in no time!
Cherries
Cherries are really the star of the summer - whether you're adding them to a cocktail or dessert.
Organic Meter: 🟢
Similar to berries, I prefer organic cherries (or growing them!) whenever possible. Studies have shown that up to a third of the samples contained banned pesticides / potential carcinogens.
- Sweet cherry vanilla milkshakes: How could you resist that?! It tastes like summer, and uses minimal ingredients. The perfect cold drink!
- Michigan cherry salad. Love cherries in salads? Throw greens, nuts, cherries, and a simple vinaigrette together for an excellent salad.
- Roasted cherry sangria. Okay, I love sangria, but this is simply the cherry on top! Sweet and tart notes all at once for a perfect summer cocktail.
Corn
If cherries are the sweet star of summer, corn is definitely the savory star. You can do so much with them - grill them as a BBQ side, make delicious corn salad, savory nuggets, and just about everything else.
Organic Meter: 🚫 / 🟢
Most studies have found that corn tends to have pretty low residues. However, some corn is grown from GMOs. If you're trying to avoid GMOs, I recommend going organic. If you live in a hot climate, you can try to grow them too!
- Skillet Cornbread. Okay, this one is made with instant polenta and corn kernels, and it's more of a quiche than traditional cornbread, but I swear you'll love it when you try it.
- Savory corn nuggets. This is one of my new favorite ways to eat corn (and better yet: can be made with fresh, frozen, or even canned corn!) Get a few simple ingredients together and bake / air-fry and you're set.
- Elote asado. Nothing takes the cake than this corn preparation. Sweet corn plus smoky flavors from the grill equals delicious summer treats.
Eggplants
Not going to lie, growing up, I hated eggplants. Something about the texture never worked for me. But now? I love them. Smoke them on the grill to make a dip, use them instead of pasta in lasagna, throw them in pasta or even salads. Such a versatile vegetable! I'm currently growing some in the garden, so stay tuned to see how they turn out.
Organic Meter: 🚫 / 🟢
Studies have shown about 20% residue of certain unfavorable chemicals in eggplant. But while that's on the higher side of some of the cleaner vegetables, it's not a whole lot. To be safe, I prefer buying organic, but you could go conventional on this.
- Eggplant hummus. Whether you call this an eggplant hummus, or a twist on traditional baba ghanoush, it's downright delicious. I've written this recipe three ways (baked, charred, grilled) so you can choose!
- Air fryer eggplant parmesan. Traditional Italian parmigiana di melanzane (i.e., eggplant parmesan) is not heavy! I found that using light dusting of breadcrumbs and air-frying gave me the best approximation!
- Eggplant involtini. If you want to stick to the Italian theme but want something more indulgent, this one's for you. Eggplant slices stuffed with ricotta and served with delicious tomato sauce? Chef's kiss!
Green Beans
Green beans are in season since it's officially summer - I just planted a few varieties of bush beans in my backyard! There's fava beans (or broad beans) - new addition to my pantry this year - as well as good old fashioned green beans.
Organic Meter: 🚫 / 🟢
I almost always buy organic green beans (incl. fava beans). Studies have found that acephate and methamidophos on green beans were a high-risk residue. However, broad beans have lower residue than some other varieties, so you could buy traditional varieties (though I still recommend organic!)
- Green bean "poriyal" (aka South Indian green bean stir fry with coconut) - dry curries are super underrated in Indian cuisine, so give this one a try if you're looking for inspiration!
- Spiced fava bean soup with rice and tomatoes. Every season is soup season in my household and this soup makes for a killer weekday meal.
- Arugula and fava bean crostini. Honestly, fava beans + arugula make for a killer combination on toast (say, on this avo toast) or by itself.
Greens
Summertime is a time of abundance for different types of greens, ranging from arugula to spinach, watercress to lettuce. I love arugula in salads, often make a killer spinach pesto, and use lettuce as a wrap!
Organic Meter: 🟢
Most leafy vegetables tend to retain dirt and chemicals. Therefore, I recommend going organic with this!
- Roasted beets and arugula salad. You've probably seen this salad a number of times, but it's so versatile and delicious!
- Creamed Spinach, aka Spinach Maria. Not your traditional creamed spinach! This one is salty and spicy with a kick from red pepper flakes.
- Vegan Efo Riro. A delicious (vegan) Nigerian spinach stew with a tangy red pepper and habanero base (also used to make Jollof rice!).
- Delicious kale salad with a poached garlic + parsley dressing, inspired by Il Corvo, Seattle.
Herbs
My basil has officially gone berserk with all the hot days this year. Make sure to check out how to dry basil or freeze basil if that's you as well. Oh, if you're looking for a handy basil substitute guide, I got you on that too. Other herbs like parsley, oregano, and thyme are all thriving now too!
Organic Meter: 🟢
Similar to leafy greens, I highly recommend that you buy organic basil (or better yet, grow some yourself!) It's a super easy plant to grow (as long as you get enough sunlight).
- Basil pesto. We can't talk about basil without talking about basil pesto (whether that's the traditional pesto all Genovese or something like this broccoli + basil pesto).
- Avocado lime cilantro ranch dressing. This dressing is creamy, sour and salty so it's a great dip or dressing for pretty much everything!
- Mango-avocado salad with basil. Finely chopped basil makes this a herby hit. You can also use that in my spinach tortellini salad. Oh, and check out this post to learn how to chiffonade basil.
Mango
Growing up in India, summertime was synonymous with fresh, juicy mangoes. Did you know that India has more than 1500 varieties of mango? Sigh. I miss those days! We get some decent Mexican mangoes here in the US, but they don't compare to the ones at home. So, my workaround is to go to the Indian store and get my mangoes there.
Organic Meter: 🚫 / 🟢
Mangoes have a thick peel, so if you wash thoroughly and don't consume the skin, it's okay to go conventional. Producers do use artificial methods to promote ripening sometimes, so you'd be justified in buying organic mangoes too. Your call!
- Mango lassi. Is there anything more refreshing during the summer? I'd say no! My recipe uses just three ingredients and comes together in 10 minutes. It also has instructions for using either mango or pulp!
- Mango salsa. Once again, simple ingredients reigns supreme. Mango salsa is a perfect side for taco night, or for BBQ days. Just delicious!
- Mango avocado salad. This salad is creamy, sweet, and tangy thanks to a lemon vinaigrette. Perfect for summertime cookouts and ready in 15.
Peas & Shoots
Growing peas has been such a surprising delight, I swear! They're so sweet and a great complement to more hearty vegetables like potatoes and carrots (like in my air-fryer samosa or kitchari) but also taste great in salads. Honestly, sometimes I just munch on them so they're gone before I even make it out of the garden, oops.
Organic Meter: 🚫 / 🟢
Peas are a really interesting vegetable because you can go totally conventional if you're buying frozen peas, so for half the year you're fine. However, for fresh snap peas - high pesticide residue means it's better to go organic.
- Pea shoot pesto: If you haven't made pesto with pea shoots, you're missing out. Oh, you can also make pesto with actual spring peas too!
- Pasta with peas and oyster mushrooms: While you're making pesto, try this luscious pea shoot pesto pasta topped with the umami boost of oyster mushrooms. You'll fall in love, I swear.
- Sugar snap pea salad. Like I said, some of these peas are best eaten fresh. This salad pairs sweet peas with ricotta for amazingness.
Peppers
As you might know, my fiancé is a huge pepper fiend. Scoville units (i.e., the unit of heat measurement) have nothing on him. Because, in Yoruba culture, if you're not sweating, are you even enjoying your food? But not all peppers need to be hot (as you can see below)
Organic Meter: 🟢
Studies have shown high illegal pesticide residue on hot peppers, so always try to go for organic when it comes to these.
- Nigerian Jollof. I have to start with this one! This tangy, delicious, tomato and red pepper rice is a West African staple, and a great side dish with a rich history.
- Spicy Alfredo. Alfredo is always a bit too creamy for my liking, so I love to spice things up with this spicy alfredo pasta. The perfect amount of spicy and creamy comes together in this dish - great weeknight dinner!
- African pepper sauce. If you're looking for a nice spicy alternative to traditional marinara, then this sauce is for you. It's a parboiled pepper and tomato sauce that goes great on pizza, pasta, rice dishes, and more!
Summer Squash
I can't tell you how excited I was when I saw my first ever zucchini in the garden. There's just something delectable about sweet summer squash, and wow, they're so versatile!
Organic Meter: 🚫 / 🟢
I typically go for organic summer squash and zucchini because there are some GMO varieties that I am not comfortable with. However, for the most part, summer squash is okay to buy conventional given their thick skin!
- Zucchini Frittata. Frittata is such an easy weekend breakfast / brunch dish. Zucchini, asparagus, and other spring/summer vegetables go great with this fuss-free egg dish that everyone will love!
- Crispy parmesan fried zucchini. Move over French fries, there's a new fried fiend in town. Make sure to get vegetarian parmesan!
- Frozen zucchini. This one is for folks who grow zucchini and have no idea what to do with the surplus at the end of summer. You can use this post to freeze zucchini as slices or shredded so you can use it year round
Tomatoes
Saving the best for the last with this one. But tell me, is there ANYTHING better than fresh, homegrown, summer tomatoes? Nope. Absolutely not. This versatile vegetable is literally the one thing I feel like I can't live without. It's the base for most Indian curries, Italian dishes, and not to mention the thrill of biting into a fresh juicy tomato in a salad.
Organic Meter: 🟢
This is probably the ONLY vegetable on my produce list that I would suggest you grow if at all possible. But if you can't grow it, definitely go organic. Conventional tomatoes have up to four types of pesticide residue (and many of them are so tasteless!)
- Authentic Caprese salad. You knew this was coming. You'll need tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper to make the most delicious salad in all of Italy. No balsamic (unless your tomatoes are old!)
- Summer gazpacho. This vegan, gluten-free delight is one of the best ways to use up an excess of tomatoes. Great for warm summer nights!
- Tomato confit. What to do with all those extra tomatoes? I'm glad you asked! Tomato confit is a great way to use up fresh cherry tomatoes, and if you have even more, check out my friend Sarah's guide to can them!
(Almost) Always in Season
As always, here's a list of stuff that's in season pretty-much year-round in the US. Check out this separate post on year-round vegetables to check whether you need to buy them organic, and find recipes for these. Or just use the search button on the top right of the blog!
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