August is one of my favorite months at the farmers’ market. Summer vegetables are at their peak. Look for tomatoes, green beans, bell peppers (including loads of ripe red peppers), hot peppers, summer squash, eggplant, cucumbers, and potatoes. Get loads of basil to make pesto for now and to freeze for the winter. If you’re lucky, you’ll find other fresh herbs too. Enjoy juicy ripe peaches and melons such as cantaloupes, honeydews, and watermelon.
Much of what I eat this time of year doesn’t require recipes. Eat cherry tomatoes after a quick rinse. Rinse arugula and salad mix, spin or blot dry, and sprinkle with a little balsamic vinegar. Scrub carrots and make like Bugs Bunny.
Still, a little cooking adds variety and makes different nutrients more available. Here are some favorite summer vegetable recipes.
August Recipes for Seasonal Fruit and Vegetables
- Summer Squash with Sweet Onions and Daylilies
- Tomato Tahini Toast
- Light Cashew Cream with Eggplant
- Slow-Cooker Peach Sauce
You’ll find more, including my recipes for basil pesto and peach cobbler, in my books Wildly Affordable Organic (vegetarian) and Fifty Weeks of Green (all plant based).
