Seasonal Eating: Summer Fruits and Vegetables

Sunshine, seashore 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 comfortable deep in my soul. 

Summer’s additionally ripe (no pun meant) for getting out and digging within the filth in your individual yard or patio planter packing containers. Even for those who don’t have a whole lot of area or a inexperienced thumb, you will get began with a bit of 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 hen parmesan. You’ll really feel such as you’re starring in your individual cooking present when you grasp that strategy of sprinkling herbs and ending salt from excessive above the plate. Bam!

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

8 Summer Fruits and Vegetables We Love

Asparagus

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

• How 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 number of days, so use it asap.
• How to protect asparagus: Asparagus might be frozen or stress canned, although each change the feel considerably (and never all the time pleasantly). Also strive pickling it.
• How 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.

Try this recipe: Asparagus Dip

Berries

Freshly picked berries are one of many absolute highlights of summer season. Even low-carb and keto of us make allowances for berries on account of their excessive dietary worth and comparatively low carbohydrate content material in comparison with a whole lot 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.

• How to retailer berries: To wash or to not wash, that’s the query… and there’s no clear reply. Some individuals argue that you just 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 mould spores and delay shelf life. (Except raspberries—everybody appears to agree that you just shouldn’t wash raspberries till simply earlier than consuming.) If you go the vinegar bathtub route, allow them to soak for a minute or two, give them an excellent rinse, and lay them out to dry on a kitchen towel. Either manner, 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 coated glass container, however maintain the lid cracked. Change out the towel if it turns into damp. Store various kinds of berries in separate containers, as some spoil sooner than others.
• How to protect berries: Freezing is the easiest way to protect berries. You may stress can them as preserves or jelly, however search for recipes that don’t include heaps of added sugar.

Try these recipes: Keto Cheesecake Parfait, Keto Blueberry Muffins

Cucumbers

Cucumbers have a protracted and storied historical past as one of many first domesticated vegetation. What’s your favourite kind of cuke? It most likely relies on 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.

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

Try this recipe: Greek Salad with Spiralized Cucumber

Eggplant

Eggplants, aka aubergines, are a dietary staple around the globe. Fun reality: regardless of their vegetably style, eggplants are literally fruit—berries, to be extra exact, as a result of they develop from a single flower.

• How to retailer eggplant: Eggplants don’t final lengthy after harvesting, and so they don’t like chilly. You can maintain them within the fridge for a day or two, however they’ll begin to wither after that.
• How to protect eggplant: You can strive freezing or pickling, but it surely’s actually greatest to eat eggplant recent.

Try this recipe: Roasted Eggplant Stuffed with Lamb

Green Beans, aka Snap Beans

Yes, inexperienced beans are legumes, however earlier than you toss that inexperienced bean casserole, I’ve excellent news. Green beans are, and have all the time been, thought-about Primal-friendly so long as you don’t have any points consuming them. Fresh inexperienced beans don’t have the identical phytate considerations as dried beans, and many of us who keep away from dried beans can take pleasure in inexperienced beans with out concern, a minimum of often.

• How to retailer inexperienced beans: Keep in a storage bag within the crisper drawer. Try to make use of inside three days or so.
• How to protect inexperienced beans: Frozen and home-canned inexperienced beans are each incredible, or strive pickling them.

Try this recipe: Air Fryer Green Beans

Herbs (Basil, Cilantro, Parsley, Chives, and many others.)

Herbs don’t simply make meals style good, in addition they provide quite a lot of well being advantages 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 massive backyard beds. Perfect for starting gardeners or of us who wish to plant a small kitchen backyard.

• How to retailer herbs: When doable, wait to chop recent herbs till you’re prepared to make use of them. If 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. Store jars of tender-stemmed herbs like parsley and cilantro within the fridge, optionally coated 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 maintain for a pair weeks or extra with this system.
• How to protect herbs: When it involves preserving herbs, you may have two primary choices. The first 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’ll be able to thaw particular person pats of butter as wanted.)

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

Try 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.)

• How to retailer tomatoes: If your tomatoes aren’t fairly ripe once you get them house from the farmer’s market, you’ll be able to 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 for those who want them to remain recent for longer than a number of days.
• How to protect tomatoes: Can entire 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.

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

Zucchini (and Other Summer 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 attempting to pawn off extra zucchini come late summer season. They’re additionally extremely versatile as an ingredient in all the pieces from salads to desserts, so settle for any and all provides of free zucchini!

• How to retailer zucchini: Keep within the crisper and attempt to use inside a number of days.
• How to protect zucchini: You can freeze zucchini, however most likely greatest methods to protect it are to make zucchini chips within the dehydrator or zucchini muffins or bread to stay within the freezer.

Try 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?

About the Author

Lindsay Taylor, Ph.D., is a senior author and group supervisor for Primal Nutrition, an authorized Primal Health Coach, and the co-author of three keto cookbooks.

As a author for Mark’s Daily Apple and the chief of the thriving Keto Reset and Primal Endurance communities, Lindsay’s job is to assist individuals be taught the whats, whys, and hows of main a health-focused life. Before becoming a member of the Primal crew, she earned her grasp’s and Ph.D. in Social and Personality Psychology from the University 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 operating, triathlon, tenting, and sport nights. Follow 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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