Seasonal Ingredients You’ll Love this Summer

The sunshine, the holidays, the endless backyard barbecues – really, what’s not to love about summer? What makes this season even more exciting is the wide array of scrumptious summertime produce that will soon start making its appearance on plates…and we can’t wait!

Below, we list some of our favourite fruits and vegetables that are in season this summer. We hope they’ll become your favourites too!

Strawberries

Juicy, red, and oh-so-sweet, summer strawberries look and taste noticeably different from strawberries available throughout the other seasons. You can enjoy them raw or with a little bit of whipped cream, or you can whip out your chef’s hat and get creative. Strawberry salad, Victoria sandwich, strawberry jam – the possibilities are endless! You can even mix it with other seasonal fruits, such as peaches, for a truly delicious dessert. Strawberry rhubarb crumble, anyone?

Corn

Corn makes its seasonal debut in summer, and we couldn’t be any more chuffed about it. This versatile vegetable can be eaten fresh on the cob, grilled Mexican-style (perfect for vegetarian or vegan barbecues), sprinkled into salad, or used in a number of baking or cooking recipes, such as this sweetcorn fritter dish we like the look of. You can also boil or steam it with a little bit of sugar to help bring the sweetness out.

Peaches

Any recipe that uses peaches is peachy keen (pun fully intended). These stone fruits look and taste their best in the summer months, so do take advantage of them while they’re here. From mouth-watering cobblers, cakes, and tarts to sweet-savoury salads and tortillas, these fuzzy fruits are a welcome addition to any dish. Their succulent flesh can best be enjoyed raw and ripe, or you can toss them on the grill to caramelise. Yum!

Courgettes

This vitamin-rich summer squash is a delicious seasonal staple that can make any meal hearty and filling. They’re also very easy to prepare, as you’ll just need to slice or dice them up – no peeling necessary! Try your hand at ‘courgette spaghetti,’ flavourful lasagne, or slow-roasted to delicious perfection. For a snack, you can make a healthier version of potato crisps by thinly slicing a courgette and baking or frying the slices with olive oil.

 Rhubarb

While rhubarb isn’t as popular as other summer ingredients, probably because of its sour taste when eaten raw, this stalky vegetable can be quite delicious when paired with sugar. Rhubarb pie, cake, and tart are noteworthy examples, and likely the forms that many people first become acquainted with rhubarb. You can also enjoy this in a savoury dish: try these pork chops or these Russian kebabs, both of which use rhubarb. 

Cucumbers

Be cool as a cucumber this summer by enjoying this vegetable in a number of dishes. Add a little crunch to any salad with a few slices, toss in some diced bits with pasta to create a light pasta salad, or slip it between bread slices to create the perfect teatime appetizer (we love this cucumber sandwich recipe). For something sweeter, you can make a refreshing cucumber margarita or a tangy cucumber lemon granita. Both are great for beating back the summer heat!

Which of these seasonal fruits and veg will you be incorporating into your meals this summer?