Whether you’ve planted a little garden for yourself or are a frequent visitor of the weekend Farmers Market, this is a great time to be cashing in on juicy, fresh, and locally grown vegetables. Here’s the top three to be grabbing on a weekly basis right now:
Zucchini: Versatile and easy to cook with. Chop it up and toss it on the grill with mushrooms and onions for a tasty complement to burgers, fish, or steak. Use it with tomatoes and basil for a baked frittata. Zucchini is loaded with vitamin C, fiber, calcium, minerals, and electrolytes. They grow like crazy in the summer so get creative!
Cucumbers: Typically available year round, cucumbers taste best grown outdoors in the summer. Now is the time to eat up as most local gardens this time of year are loaded with them. They are underrated for their health benefits and are great in any salad, juice, smoothie, or on its own as a snack. Cucumbers are great for digestive, skin, and kidney health. Load up!
Green Beans: Nothing like some fresh steamed green beans with melted butter. If you want to mix things up, try chopping them fresh and tossing them into a bean salad with some fresh corn, kidney beans, and herbs. They’ll be fresh at the markets through September and will provide some nice variety to your seasonal pairings. They are high in many vitamins and minerals, but really stand out for high levels of flavonoids, which are antioxidants that fight cancer, heart disease, and other inflammatory diseases.
