In this summer produce guide, you will learn which vegetables and fruit are in season in summer and get some new preparation ideas and many vegan summer recipes! Now hit the farmers’ market and get cooking!
Summer is in full swing right now and flying by far too quickly. Let’s take advantage of the season’s bounty!
Eating seasonally is a wonderful way to guarantee freshness while maximizing nutrition and affordability! Summer is one of the best seasons for seasonal eating since so much fresh produce is available at your local farmer’s market. I’ve compiled my favorite fresh summer produce and included a list of my favorite sweet and savory vegan summer recipes to get you inspired and motivated to get cooking!
Summer produce guide: What vegetables are in season in summer?
Avocado
I love avocado. On toast – impossible to beat, but it’s also a fantastic addition to vegan tacos or any Mexican meal or fresh salads and sandwiches. Most avocados you’ll find in your grocery stores all year long are probably imported from Mexico, but California avocados are in season now! Get them!
Avocado Recipes:
Avocado Pasta with Smoky Pecans
Ginger Coriander Sprouted Lentils Toast
Quinoa Salad with Arugula and Avocado
Avocado Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Corn
Sweet corn can be grilled, roasted or eaten raw. Raw corn marinated in sour lime juice is especially delicious, as is slightly charred corn that has been grilled in the husk. To avoid genetically modified corn, buy organic.
Corn recipes:
Mexican Street Corn Salad
Black Bean Corn Salad
Corn Palak
Jamaican Jerk Chickpea Tacos with Corn Salsa
Cucumber
Crispcucumber makes not only a lovely addition to raw salads but is also rich in vitamins, and its high water content and hydrating qualities make it an excellent ingredient for smoothies and all recipes that you want to bulk up without piling on the calories. Peeled and sliced into fine ribbons, cucumber makes an incredibly refreshing addition to your favorite co*cktails. Cucumber and mint infused water is such a treat on a hot day—just soak cucumber, a few twigs of mint and lemon slices in a pitcher of water.
Cucumber Recipes:
Cucumber Hummus Appetizer Bites
Kachumber Salad
Cucumber Tomato Mint Sandwiches
Potatoes
Who doesn’t love potatoes? The most underestimated of all veggies! New potatoes and other small potatoes are in season right now so bring on the potato salad and hash browns! Experiment with varieties outside of the gold old Russet. Especially the more colorful varieties offer more nutritional value. Buy organic potatoes whenever you can.
Potato recipes:
Vegan Smashed Potatoes
Scalloped Potatoes
Spiced Chickpeas and Potatoes
Gujarati Potatoes
Summer Squash (Zucchini, Yellow Squash)
Other than winter squash, summer squash varieties like zucchini and yellow squash have thin skin that doesn’t require peeling making it one of the most hand-off ingredients for your healthy summer kitchen.
Summer Squash Recipes:
Zucchini Lasagna
Vegan Zucchini Bread
Carrot Zucchini Chickpea Fritters
Walnut Pesto Pasta with Zucchini
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are at peak season right now. Ripe tomatoes that are picked fresh off the vine don’t really need much help when it comes to preparation—a sprinkle of sea salt and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and some extra virgin olive oil and you are good to go. However, here are some amazing recipes you might want to try this summer.
Tomato recipes:
Instant Pot Tomato Soup
Lentil Fritter Tomato Bowl
Tofu in Smoky Spicy Tomato Sauce
Okra Onion Tomato Curry
Bell Pepper
Peppers! Bell peppers are starting to show up everywhere now. Did you know that green, yellow, orange, and red bell peppers are all the same variety of pepper, just picked at different stages of ripeness? Huh, right? Green peppers are the youngest and have the least amount of sugar. The redder the pepper, the more time it had to mature before picking—that’s why red peppers are not only sweeter but also more expensive!
Bell Pepper Recipes:
Bell Pepper Nachos with Cauliflower Taco Meat
Broccoli Zunka with Red Bell Pepper
Chickpea Curry with Red Bell Pepper
Green Beans
Green beans are easily overlooked but they are such a versatile vegetable and go great with almonds, fresh basil, parsley or oregano, Vegan Parmesan, olive oil, onions, parsley, potatoes, shallots, tomatoes, and vinegar. Low in carbs and packed with vitamins.
Green Beans Recipes:
Red Curry Green Beans
Green Beans with Fennel Seeds, Lentil and Cilantro
Summer produce: What fruits are in season in summer?
Mango
Mango – we all love. That much is for sure! They can seem a little tricky to work with at first as they have that big stone to cut around but here’s a trick. Just slice off one-third of each side, longways, from the top down, then dice the mango-like you would an avocado.
Mango Recipes
Mango Overnight Oats
Vegan Mango Ice Cream
Berries (Blackberries, Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries, etc.)
Plump, juicy, sweet berries are a great healthy snack in themselves – packed full of antioxidants. They’re also lovely in baked goods like muffins and coffee cakes. As berries tend to soak up a lot of pesticides, as a general rule, buy organic berries.
Berry Recipes
Vegan Blueberry Streusel Muffins
Cranberry Blueberry Crumb Bars
Vegan Blueberry Cobbler
Blueberry Muffin Energy Balls
Stone Fruit (Peaches, Nectarines, etc.)
Fresh, local stone fruit like nectarines, plums, cherries apricots, and peaches are the epitome of summer. Did you know that you can grill pitted and halved peaches? They make a great addition to salads or desserts. Otherwise chopped peaches or nectarines are a great addition to salads, breakfast parfaits, fruit salads, and all fruity, juicy desserts.
Stone Fruit recipes:
Vegan Cherry Crisp
Tempeh Sandwich with Grilled Peaches
