Recipes to Make in August

Hello August!

We have another summer month to look forward to copious amounts of fresh produce. It’s hard to know what to buy and what recipes to make!

The garden is in full bloom, our vegetables are being harvested and I have August recipe inspiration to share with you.I just returned from a cross-country roadtrip to visit my family in Ontario. It was pretty neat to see alot of this beautiful country we live in. Northern Ontario especially surprised me; there were so many lakes! I was literally in heaven.

Now that we’re back home and getting into the swing of things again I’m back to cooking allll the recipes.

We came back to a VERY full backyard vegetable garden which gives me endless inspiration. In serious full-bloom right now are lettuces and kale; golden and striped beets; more radishes; and, we finally have broccolini and hot peppers coming through!

So, this weekend I made us a full garden salad with our lettuce, sliced radishes, shredded golden beets plus pumpkin seeds, feta and a red wine vinaigrette. It was so fresh and delicious! I love being able to make simple recipes with the produce right from our garden.

If you’re harvesting a lot from your garden right now, here are a couple of tips for storing your produce:

Greens: Any lettuces and kale I wash as soon as I bring into the house. Dry the lettuces (towel or salad spinner) and then store in an airtight container in the fridge. Bonus tip: Add a paper towel to the top of the container to help collect any moisture so the greens last longer.

Beets: Remove the greens (which you can wash and sauté with a little butter for an easy dish) and store the beets in a perforated plastic bag for 1-2 months. Best stored in the crisper drawer.

Herbs: With herbs like basil and parsley you can make an easy pesto to freezer for later use. For heartier herbs like rosemary or thyme, they can be dried by placing in a paper bag with a couple of holes poked in it and stored in a cool, dry place for about a week. Remove rosemary or thyme from the stems and use as dried herbs. Or, you could also wash and fully dry the herbs; then, add a mixture of the chopped herbs to a ice cube container and top with melted butter or oil. Freeze into ice cubes and save for use with roasted vegetables or roasted chicken in the future.

Speaking of produce, right now we’re getting tons of fresh peaches and berries from BC. I’m especially jazzed about the peaches because there are so many ways to enjoy them! For dessert, in a cocktail and even a savoury appetizer.