Summer, also known as the Summer Solstice, begins June 20, or 21, depending on the year. Although the starting dates for the Summer season change, Summer is always a time of heat, water, and swimsuits. Summer usually includes vacations and other time spent with family and friends. Did I mention heat?
Do you know what’s in-season during Summer? One hint lies in the abundance of farmer’s markets and produce stands. I love farmers’ markets and produce stands. If you do not currently shop at these places, I recommend you begin. There is always quality, fresh, in-season produce like: corn, melons, peaches, and zucchini. Lots of zucchini! Buying produce at these markets not only gets you the freshest, most succulent product, but your purchases help local farmers. Helping the “little guy” is a great way to live, and healthier too.
Americans barbecue during Summer; that’s just a fact. We love our BBQ and look forward to meat with char lines and honey barbecue sauce. There are infinite recipes for BBQ rub and sauces, not to mention the BBQ competition scene. In complete juxtaposition of our current tradition, this blog is experimenting a theory that it’s best not to eat meat in the Summer – at least, not beef; pork; chicken; etc. Ted E. Brewerton wrote an article explaining why meat should be eased during the Summer season; you can read that here. To add a non-religious piece about body temperature regulation, please read the fine article here.
As a side-note, I must point-out that common sense should tell us that turning on a stove, building a fire, or lighting the gas grill when it’s 90 plus degrees outside, just seems asinine. Not only do the protein calories in meat raise our body temperature, but the poor sap who gets to monitor the cooker has to swim in his or her own sweat for the duration of the day. In theory, low-fat protein and produce keeps the body temperature lower; therefore, favoring salads and fish during the Summer season. Fish cooks quickly, therefore decreasing heat time. Food for thought.
Fruits and Vegetables in Season (North America):
- Apple – Apples can be eaten as a snack, are great cooked with dried fruits, used in cakes and pies or in relishes and chutney. They work well in salads too.
- Look for firm, unblemished fruit with smooth skin and a good color. For long-term storage, keep apples in cool conditions, separated from other fruit and vegetables. Apples give off ethylene gas, which can turn root vegetables bitter; apples will also absorb the flavor of onions.
- Wash apples just before eating. Eat them whole or chop, slice, or dice for salads and fruit salads. The flesh will discolor quickly when cut so brush well with citrus juice.
- Apricot – This small, smooth-skinned, orange-colored fruit has a good flavor only when fully ripe. It is then delicious eaten as is or served in fruit salads. Apricots poach well, holding their shape, and once cooked can be used in pies, cakes, and crisp-topped desserts. The are excellent with savory foods, especially grains and nuts, and go particularly well with Middle Eastern flavorings, such as coriander or cinnamon.
- Choose apricots that are firm and unwrinkled with velvety, pale orange skins. When ripe, they should just yield in the palm of your hand. If you cannot buy good ripe apricots, used dried ones for both sweet and savory recipes.
- Wash apricots before eating. Slice, remove the pit, and add to fruit or savory salads. Poach, broil, or stew and puree.
- Artichoke – This attractive member of the thistle family is fun and best eaten when you have plenty of time and don’t mind there being a lot of mess! If you live in an area where artichokes are plentiful, it is worth cooking them and using just the hearts, which are delicious.
- Choose globe artichokes with firm, tightly packed heads and a good bright color. Brown spots at the base of the head indicate decay. Eat as soon as possible. If you have to store them uncooked, wrap in damp paper and keep in the refrigerator over night.
- As you prepare, rub all cut surfaces with lemon juice or drop in acidulated water to prevent the globe artichoke from discoloring. To prepare for eating whole, break off the stalk and trim the base so that it will sit upright when served. Trim the pointed spines with scissors and cut off the pointed top of the artichoke with a sharp knife. Boil in salted, acidulated water for 30-40 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon. If one of the leaves comes away with a gentle pull, the artichoke is ready. Watch here to see a handsome man prepare an artichoke.
- Arugula – A salad green with notched leaves and a peppery flavor.
- Never choose anything that looks wilted or bruised. Remove tight plastic packaging as soon as possible and keep salad greens in the refrigerator. Eat them on the day of purchase or within a day or so. If they come in a bag, use them within 1-2 days of opening.
- All salad greens are fragile and need handling with care. Wash and pat dry. Use a salad spinner if you have one; alternatively, heap the greens into a clean dish towel, gather up the corners, and swing around – preferably outside. Tearing greens, rather than chopping, is said to cause less cell damage and therefore preserve more nutrients and also keeps the salad crisper. Only dress salad just before serving.
- Banana – Once considered exotic, bananas are now commonplace. They are usually eaten raw but are also good baked in their skins or grilled. They make a nutritious drink or meal when blended with milk, coconut milk, or bean curd. Use citrus juice to prevent them from going brown. Don’t throw out overripe bananas – they make great bread or cake.
- Bananas do not travel well and are therefore picked unripe and then ripened later or during transit. Choose those with a green to yellow skin and do not pack them at the bottom of your shopping cart because they bruise easily. At home, store them on a hook.
- Peel and eat raw, or bake with butter and honey, or bake in their skins. Great in smoothies.
- Beans – Each country has its favorite varieties of beans, known variously as green, French, string, runner, bobby, Italian, and wax. Some are thin as a shoelace, others finger-thick and about as long. Fresh beans are a good way to add color to stew or casserole. The go well with Mediterranean vegetables, such as tomatoes, olives, and bell peppers; they are also great partnered with garlicky Middle Eastern dishes. When served as a side vegetable, beans should be tender yet crisp. They also work well in marinades based on olive oil.
- Beans should have a good color and all but the youngest and smallest varieties should snap in half easily if they are fresh. Keep beans in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
- Chunky, short beans and very fine beans need trimming. Cut beans thinly either diagonally across the pod or lengthwise. Once prepared, steam, boil, microwave, or stir-fry.
- Beet – Beet is cultivated for both the root and its greens. The roots can vary in color from red and gold to white, although the flavor is roughly the same. The main difference is that golden beet doesn’t bleed in the way that red beet does. The flavor of beet is sweet and earthly. It is great with onion or citrus flavors, as well as with sour cream, tangy goat cheese, and hot condiments, such as mustard and horseradish.
- Choose firm, smooth bulbs with the leaves attached. Separate the leaves before storing. Keep beet in a ventilated plastic bag in the refrigerator for some weeks.
- Red beet will stain everything crimson, so consider carefully what you wear, where you prepare them, and what other ingredients you mix them with. Beet is easier to peel once it has been cooked. Scrub the roots then boil for 35-40 minutes, or until tender. Remove the skins with a sharp knife when the beet is cool enough to handle. Beet is good roasted or baked. It can be eaten raw is is then best grated or cut into thin slivers.
- Bell Pepper – Bell peppers are related to the chile family, but have a mild rather than hot flavor and they sweeten as they ripen. They are marvelous vegetables, adding plenty of color to all manner of dishes. They can be eaten raw or cooked in a variety of ways and are ideal for stuffing. Bell peppers come in a dazzling array of colors, the most familiar being red and green but increasingly orange, yellow, and even white and purple are on sale. These are all similar, but warmer colors indicate riper specimens, thus yellow is the sweetest of all while the green bell pepper has a fresh, almost grassy flavor. Look, too, for baby bell peppers, which can be used whole in a dish of marinated vegetables or stuffed for cocktail snacks. Red and yellow bell peppers are very good sources of carotenes and vitamin C.
- Choose bright, firm specimens with smooth skins, which should not be wrinkled or soft. It doesn’t matter if the red ones have a touch of green, or vice versa, since this is part of the ripening process. Bell peppers don’t have to have a regular appearance, unless you are intending to stuff them. Store them in the refrigerator and the will last for up to one week.
- The easiest way to prepare bell peppers is to cut a slice off the top, thus removing the stalk and part of the core. Then cut a small slice off the base. This leaves you with a neat, open-ended box. Remove the core, seeds, and membranes. Slice the bell pepper in half, then hold with the inside of the bell pepper uppermost, since this part is less slippery, and cut the flesh into long strips or dice. To stuff a bell pepper, slice off the top and pull out the core. Shake out any remaining seeds, and then cut out the white membranes.
- Bell peppers are fine to eat raw and can also be cooked in casseroles or stir-fries without being skinned.
- Blackberry – Blackberries can be eaten raw but unless they are truly ripe, they can be on the sour side. They are best cooked with a little sweetening and used for pies and sweet, crisp-topped desserts.
- Blackberries do not keep well so aim to use them as soon as possible. Store them overnight at most, in the refrigerator.
- Pick over blackberries and, if you have picked them wild yourself, check carefully for insects. Avoid washing or the fruit will turn to mush. Stew with a little sugar or fruit juice.
- Blueberry – Blueberries can be eaten raw, sweetened with sugar or spiked with a squeeze of lemon or lime, and served with yogurt or cream. Lightly poached with sweet spices, they can be used in pies and crisp-topped desserts or made into sauces for ice cream or sherbet.
- Select dark blue, large berries with a natural blue bloom. Blueberries keep better than other soft fruit and can be stored in the refrigerator for several days.
- Serve as they come with a little orange or lemon juice and sweetening, if you like. Alternatively, they can be added raw to cake and muffin mixture or cooked to a sauce. sweetened with sugar, and then thickened with cornstarch.
- Broccoli – Good partnered with dairy products. Works well in souffle; roulades; stir-fries combined with bell pepper and mushroom; pasta when mixed in sauces; or simply steamed and served on the side.
- Should have firm, compact buds or flowers, which should be dark green or dark purple, depending on the variety. Do not buy or use any that show signs of yellowing. Keep in the refrigerator and use within a couple of days.
- Pull off any coarse leaves and trim tough stems, peeling the skin back to the branches. Chop into flowerets. Steam, microwave or boil and be aware that the flower heads can break up if overcooked. If serving in salad, chill rapidly under cold running water.
- Cabbage – Good in salads and forms the basis of traditional coleslaw. Can be coated with yogurt or creme fraiche, or mixed with grated raw celery root, apple, dried fruits, or fresh herbs.
- Select firm heads that feel heavy for their size; the outer leaves should look fresh. Cabbage should keep up to one week in the refrigerator, loosely wrapped in plastic.
- To shred cabbage by hand or in a food processor, cut into fourths first and then remove the inner core if it looks woody. Cut each fourth into fine shreds using a large knife, or chop it into chunks to fit the feeder tube of a food processor and shred using the slicing blade. Finely shredded cabbage makes a crunchy addition to stir-fries, or can be sauteed. Whole leaves can be blanched and stuffed with a filling suitable for grape leaf.
- Cantaloupe – A small, round melon with salmon-colored flesh and a very craggy outer skin. Serve ripe. Good in fruit salad, can combine with savory ingredients, such as avocado, for appetizers.
- Needs to smell ripe. Check that it feels a little soft at the stalk end. Store melon in the refrigerator unless it needs extra ripening.
- Serve chilled, left in the skin in wedges or halves with the seeds removed. It can be served in chunks, slices, or balls, and mixed with other fruit or salad ingredients.
- Celery – Not generally served solo, except for crudites, celery is usually used to flavor soups and casseroles. It is also good as a crunchy addition to salads and stir-fries.
- Choose crisp, unblemished stalks with leafy tops. Refrigerate for up to one week.
- Separate stalks and rinse thoroughly. Trim as necessary and pull away the course outer “strings.” Slice or dice to serve raw in salads, stir-fry, broil, or saute.
- Cherry – Light to dark red in color, cherries are a firm, succulent fruit with a sweet flavor. They can be eaten fresh, added uncooked to cakes, muffins, and strudels, or cooked in a light syrup for a puree or sauce.
- Select firm, well-colored fruit that is not bruised or split. Store in the refrigerator for a few days.
- Wash cherries before eating. Pit them before adding to fruit salads or sauces, or before baking.
- Chile Pepper – Fresh chile peppers range in heat from mild to blistering hot. As a rough guide, the smaller and narrower the chile and the darker its color, the more powerful its heat. The hottest chile peppers are the habanero and tiny bird’s eye; the mildest include the sweet banana and tapering green Anaheim. Red chile peppers are riper than green and can taste slightly sweeter. Chile peppers can add a wonderful dimension to your cooking, creating sensations from a rich warmth to a dramatic heat. Counteract their effects with dairy products or beer; surprisingly enough, a glass of water seems to intensify the heat instead of assuaging it.
- Look for bright, glossy skins and avoid any chile peppers that are bruised. Chile peppers can be stored for up to three weeks in the refrigerator. If there is any trace of mold, separate the chile peppers out and remove the culprit since the mold spreads quickly. If stored in oil, chile peppers will keep even longer.
- Always treat chile peppers with care because they contain oils that can permeate the skin. After chopping a chile pepper, never touch your eyes or mouth; wash your hands thoroughly, as well as the knife and cutting board. A good precaution is to wear gloves. The skin, seeds, and membrane are the hottest parts, so discard those if you wish.
- Coconut – While fresh coconut is fun and a treat to eat, ready-prepared block coconut and coconut milk are more useful cooking ingredients. These add an authentic flavor to Asian and Indian dishes. Coconut milk provides a velvety, creamy texture and is especially useful for those who do not want to eat dairy products.
- Choose a coconut that feels heavy and full. Examine the eyes of the coconut for wetness and mold.
- Drain the water from the coconut (if you want to). Hit with a hammer. Take the meat off the shell with a knife. If you have a few minutes, and want to watch a ninja open a coconut, click here.
- Corn – Fresh corn on the cob has a delicate, sweet flavor. It is a versatile ingredient that can be eaten alone but also adds good color and texture to stews, grain dishes, and salads. Corn is commonly used in Mexican cookery and goes well with sharp flavorings such as lime and chile. The cobs are great to grill on the barbecue whole in the husks.
- Choose cobs that are completely enclosed in green husks because these will protect the kernels and prevent the corn from drying out. If in doubt, peel back the leaves and check that the kernels are still plump. Try not to buy cobs pre-packed because you are unable to inspect them. Once harvested, corn loses its sweetness so eat as soon after buying as possible. If necessary, store in a loose plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to two days.
- Remove the outer leaves and the silky threads. Cook whole cobs in boiling water for 3-5 minutes, or steam for 8-10 minutes. Individual kernels should be tender when pierced. Kernels can be stripped off the cob. Use a sharp knife and hold the cob at a slight angle, which is safer than balancing it on one end. Scrape off a row of kernels, cutting close to the inner core and working down and away from you. Work your way in this manner around the cob.
- Cucumber – With its high water content, this is a cooling ingredient. It can be diced, sliced, or cut into sticks. Cucumber is good in relishes and can also be stir-fried.
- Cucumbers should feel firm and should be kept in the refrigerator. Only cut as much as you need – once sliced, it dries out quickly.
- When using in dips, salt sliced cucumber into a colander and add salt. Leave for about an hour to draw out the excess moisture.
- Eggplant – Featured in many classic dishes, such as Greek moussaka, Turkish Imam Bayaldi (stuffed eggplant with cooked onions, tomatoes, and garlic), and Baba Ghanoush (roasted eggplant creamed with tahini) from the Middle East.
- Eggplant should look smooth and glossy and feel heavy for their size. If they are big, yet weigh little, the insides may be spongy and past their best. Be careful when touching the cap because it can be prickly. Store eggplant in a cool place or they will quickly shrivel.
- Wipe the eggplant and trim the cap. Cut into slices or dice as required, using a very sharp knife since the outer skin can be slippery.
- Fig – There are many varieties of fig, ranging in color from cream and yellow to deep purple and black. Not all varieties are available in every country. Unless you can get local or almost local or almost local types, dried figs may be a better option.
- A ripe fig should be unbruised and just soft when pressed. Although the skin may look tough, it is edible. The inner flesh is pinkish-brown and full of edible seeds. Store figs in the refrigerator.
- Wash before eating. Leave whole, or cut in half and macerate in fruit syrup, or bake or stew.
- Fennel – With a distinctive hint of anise seed, this versatile vegetable goes well with all things Italian – tomatoes, basil, Parmesan – but is equally happy with citrus flavors, pears and apples, mild onion, or strong salad greens, such as watercress or radicchio. Despite its crunchy quality, it makes a smooth puree, ideal for soups and sauces.
- Look for firm, evenly colored rounded bulbs with feathery, bright green fronds. Refrigerate for up to one week.
- Trim the hard base and cut off any woody stalks. Slice finely to eat raw in salads. Grill, saute, roast, or steam.
- Garlic – Small but pungent ingredient used to flavor a diverse range of foods. Garlic has been credited with lowering blood cholesterol levels and warding off colds. However, in order to get any benefit from garlic, it needs to be eaten regularly and in large amounts.
- Look for firm heads of garlic with no slashes or slits. Garlic should last for several weeks in a cool airy place – don’t keep it in a steamy kitchen.
- The traditional method to use garlic, is to chop the garlic and then crush it with the blade of a knife, adding a little salt to prevent the knife from slipping. Alternatively, use a sturdy garlic press. Be careful not to burn or scorch garlic when cooking or it will become bitter. It is best to add garlic once there is another ingredient, such as onion, already cooking in the pan.
- Roasted garlic is a wonderful way of adding a very subtle flavor to recipes, especially to raw salad dressing and dips where uncooked garlic may be too strong. Roast plump, firm unpeeled cloves in a preheated oven, 400 degrees F (200 degrees C), for 5 minutes. Let cool, then peel, mash, and use as required.
- Grape – Grapes range in color from pale green to deep red. Seeded grapes contain small bitter seeds; there are also many varieties of seedless grapes, widely available.
- Look for plump specimens. Once grapes are ripe they do not last long. You can store them in the refrigerator but allow time for them to come to room temperature before eating.
- Wash grapes just before eating. Eat them raw whole, or halve or chop them into sweet and savory salads.
- Leek – Milder in flavor than onions and develop a buttery texture when cooked slowly, which makes them excellent for pairing with cheese. Leeks also have an affinity with potatoes.
- It is best to choose medium to small leeks since large ones sometimes have a woody core that is inedible. Look for dark green leaves, which are not dry or wilted. Store leeks in the refrigerator and use within one week.
- Leeks need cleaning thoroughly because dirt is often trapped in the leaves. Remove the outer leaves, trim the green tops, and cut off the bearded ends. Slice twice lengthwise along the green part almost in the white central body of the leek. Rinse under cold running water, fanning out the leaves so any trapped dirt is flushed away. Cut the leek into slices or chunks.
- Nectarine – This smooth-skinned member of the peach family has sweet, juicy flesh. Nectarines are extremely easy to broil or grill; they can be eaten as they are, or mixed with other fruit in sweet and savory salads.
- Look for firm, but not rock-hard fruit. Avoid any that are bruised or damaged. They can be left to ripen for a while in a warm place.
- Nectarines can be eaten fresh, simply washed and unpeeled. Poach, grill, broil, or stew and puree.
- Onion – Revered by the ancient Egyptians and favored by the Greeks and Romans, the humble onion is now treated as an essential ingredient in diverse recipes. Many countries grow their own varieties, which range from deep purple-red to pure white, from sweet to pungent, and from bulbous to pencil thin. Onions from colder climates tend to have stronger flavors.
- Look for onions with firm bulbs, evenly colored papery skin, and no sprouting. Avoid any that feel spongy or look sooty; a rotting onion will also smell unpleasant. Common onions should last for several weeks, if not months, if they are stored in cool, dark, airy conditions. Red onions and sweet varieties of onion do not last so long.
- Once cut, onions should be used quickly. If you have a leftover half, wrap it well before putting it in the refrigerator or the smell will permeate any butter or cheese. Aim to use it the following day.
- Trim the ends and peel off the skin. Onions have a slippery outer surface so use a sharp knife that won’t slide off. Cut the bulb in half and place each half cut-side down. Slice thinly to form crescents. To dice the onion finely, hold the sliced half firmly and cut again – at right angles to the first cuts. To watch Gordon Ramsay finely chop an onion, click here. (You’re welcome.)
- Peach – An attractive, orange-yellow fruit with a downy skin. It is good served fresh, on its own or mixed with other fruit. Peaches can also be used in savory salads mixed with vegetables or grains such as rice, nuts, or cheese. They are also delicious baked or grilled.
- Peaches should be firm, but not rock hard, and certainly free from soft patches. They will ripen after a few days in a warm place.
- Peaches can be eaten fresh, simply washed and unpeeled. Poach, grill, broil, or stew and puree.
- Pear – Delicious poached or stewed for pie filling and served with plain yogurt or cream. They work well with other fruits in fruit salads and also combine with savory ingredients, such as blue cheese, peppery salad greens, and avocado.
- Pears are best bought unripe since they do bruise very easily. Once ripe, however, they may last only a day or so before developing an unpleasant woolly character. If you need to ripen pears in a hurry, put them in a paper bag with apples and leave them to ripen at room temperature.
- Eat pears raw, washed and unpeeled. Alternatively, dice and stew, broil, or poach them whole. The flesh will discolor quickly when cut so brush with citrus juice immediately if preparing for a salad.
- Plum – This thin-skinned fruit can be large and black or small and purple, red or yellow. Some varieties of plum are grown for eating fresh while others are best cooked. Plums are often served for dessert, baked in pies or with a sweet crisp topping. They can also be served with savories as a chutney or relish.
- Plums should be quite firm and have a distinctive bloom on their skins. Unripe plums can be left to ripen in a warm place.
- Dessert varieties can be eaten fresh, simply washed and unpeeled, or peeled and sliced. Plums can be broiled, poached, or stewed and pureed.
- Pomegranate – This tough, leathery, red-skinned fruit, the size of an apple, contains tightly packed seeds and enclosed in a perfumed ruby flesh. The pith and membrane or bitter and should not be eaten.
- Look for firm fruit and store for up to a week in the refrigerator.
- Cut through the skin to mark out four segments. Using a sharp knife, cut around the raised end so that you can lift out the hard “button” or tuft. After peeling back the skin in sections, you can separate out the pomegranate without breaking the seeds. To extract the juice, roll the fruit over a counter, then make a hole in the skin and squeeze out the juice.
- Potato – One of the world’s most widely grown vegetable. Potatoes fall into two categories – waxy or mealy – although some all-purpose varieties are midway between the two. Waxy potatoes have a high moisture and low starch content, and are better for sauteing, boiling, and salads. New potatoes have a waxy character. Mealy potatoes have more starch and a lighter texture and are good for baking and mashing.
- Potatoes belong to the nightshade family, a group of plants in which all, apart from the tubers, are poisonous. Exposure to light and sprouting, can cause a concentration of poisons – visible as a green hue, so it is vital not to buy or eat green potatoes or sprouting potatoes. A small patch of green can be cut away but discard any with a heavy green tinge. Do not store potatoes sealed in plastic since this will create condensation and the moisture will cause them to spoil. Stored in a dry, dark place with good ventilation, potatoes will keep for at least two weeks, maybe longer. Don’t store them with onions.
- Scrub well to remove most of the pesticides or peel thinly. Potatoes can lose up to 25% of their protein if peeled too coarsely and much of their vitamin C content is close to the skin. Boil, roast, or bake whole.
- Raspberry – The raspberry is a fragile, soft fruit containing many tiny seeds. They can be served plainly or with sugar, cream, or yogurt for a simple dessert. If the fruit is damaged or beyond its best, puree with some sweetening and blend with cream or ice cream.
- Look for firm berries and watch out for seeping juices at the bottom of the carton. Eat raspberries as quickly as possible. If necessary, they can be stored overnight in the refrigerator. Frozen raspberries are a good buy if you are intending to puree the fruit.
- Avoid washing raspberries or they will turn to a mush. Pick over to remove any stalks.
- Scallion – These small, immature onions are usually pencil thin with a white base and green leaves. Use them in salads and other combinations that do not need cooking.
- The leaves should look bright and springy with no hint of yellowing. Keep in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- Trim the base and any straggly green leaves. Chop, slice, or cut into lengths.
- Shallot – This small, brown bulb is related to the onion but has a milder, sweeter flavor. The flesh can be pink in appearance. Like onion, it is usually cooked at the beginning of the recipe to add subtle undertones of flavor.
- Look for firm bulbs when buying and store in a cool airy place for up to a month. Prepare and cook in a similar way to onion.
- Summer Squash – Characterized by thin skins and tend to be less watery than winter squash. They often have colorful flesh and roast and puree well, making a good base for soups, sauces, and ravioli stuffing. Squash goes well with many flavorings, including sweet spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, pungent herbs such as basil or marjoram, walnuts, and some other fruit vegetables.
- Look for firm, glossy vegetables that ore not too large. They should be heavy for their size and have no wrinkled or brown patches. Store them in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for 3-4 days.
- Do not peel zucchini because you will lose flavor and texture. Wipe or rinse and trim the ends as necessary. Chop large specimens. Good stuffed, lightly steamed and marinated for salads served at room temperature. They add bulk and substance to stews and casseroles, and are useful for barbecues and grilling, as well as stir-fry.
- Tomato – Vine tomatoes are matured on the vine for the best flavor. There are both cherry and standard tomatoes sold in this form. If you can’t buy good tomatoes locally, it is better to use good-quality canned tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes instead.
- Buy local varieties when you can. They should be firm but not rock hard, and have good shiny skins, and a rich color, although this isn’t always an indicator of flavor. Smelling them is sometimes a better test.
- Keep tomatoes at room temperature since refrigeration deadens the flavor. Keep vine tomatoes on the vine. Ripe tomatoes will keep for a few days and unripe ones can take a week to develop a good flavor.
- Wipe the tomato, then chop, slice, or cut in wedges, depending on the recipe. Served as a side dish, tomatoes are good broiled, grilled, or baked.
- Watermelon – The giant of the melon family. Smooth, dark green outer skin, watery, pink inner flesh, and a plethora of inedible black seeds.
- Needs to smell ripe. Check that it feels a little soft at the stalk end. Store melon in the refrigerator unless it needs extra ripening.
- Serve chilled, left in the skin in wedges or halves with the seeds removed. It can be served in chunks, slices, or balls, and mixed with other fruit or salad ingredients.
- Zucchini – Zucchini is a summer squash. They often have colorful flesh and roast and puree well, making a good base for soups, sauces, and ravioli stuffing. Squash goes well with many flavorings, including sweet spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, pungent herbs such as basil or marjoram, walnuts, and some other fruit vegetables. Large zucchini or marrow has a thick skin and somewhat watery flesh. Large zucchini is best sauteed with spices, such as paprika, cumin, or caraway, or pungent herbs such as thyme.
- Look for firm, glossy vegetables that ore not too large – they are at their best when they are young and small. They should be heavy for their size and have no wrinkled or brown patches. Store them in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for 3-4 days.
- Do not peel zucchini because you will lose flavor and texture. Wipe or rinse and trim the ends as necessary. Chop large specimens. Good stuffed, lightly steamed and marinated for salads served at room temperature. They add bulk and substance to stews and casseroles, and are useful for barbecues and grilling, as well as stir-fry.