In F Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, we are drawn into a decadent lifestyle and the vibrancy and birth of the new season “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees……I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer”.
Summer feels like this to me – brightly coloured landscapes, warm breezes and a new bounty of fragrant and delicious fruit and vegetables. Here is a list of what’s on offer this season with some simple, healthy ideas on how to enjoy nature’s harvest.
Fruit
- Apricot – poach with star anise and cardamom and serve with fresh ricotta
- Avocado – make a delicious guacamole
- Banana – freeze to make a smoothie with raw cocoa powder and nibs
- Blackberry – turn into a sugar free jam with pear
- Blueberry – make a muffin with almond meal
- Cherry – dip in dark chocolate and coat with desiccated coconut
- Currant – freeze and add to a pitcher of water and mint
- Fig – add to a blue cheese, rocket and walnut salad
- Grapes – arrange on a cheese board
- Lime – make a salad dressing with coconut oil and fresh coriander, chili, ginger and lemon grass
- Lychee – puree with egg white and freeze for a sugar free sorbet
- Mango – perfect as is
- Mangosteen – add to a fresh fruit salad
- Melon – a match made in heaven with haloumi and mint
- Nectarine – grill with honey
- Orange, Valencia – juice
- Papaw – make a spicy salsa with chili, onion and capsicum
- Papaya – a tropical fruit salad ingredient
- Passionfruit – top your tropical fruit salad
- Peach – perfect in a prosciutto and rocket salad
- Pear – poach with plums and cinnamon
- Pineapple – add to a blender with ice and mint for a delicious frappe
- Plum – poach with pears and cinnamon
- Prickly pear – eat as is
- Rambutan – another tropical fruit salad ingredient
- Raspberry – make a berry coulis
- Strawberry – serve with yoghurt and vanilla bean
Vegetables
- Asparagus – steam and dip into soft boiled eggs
- Beans – stew with onions, garlic and tomatoes
- Capsicum – skewer with onions, chicken or beef pieces and grill
- Celery – juice with carrot and ginger
- Chilli – spice up any dish
- Choko – ferment for a delicious pickle
- Cucumber – turn into a tzatziki dip
- Eggplant – chargrill whole and make a babaganoush
- Lettuce – a base for any salad
- Mushroom – the perfect omelet filling
- Okra – stew with onions and tomatoes
- Onion – a base for any stir fry or sauté
- Peas – toss in a pan with butter and mint and add to a potato salad
- Potato – boil and add to a pea and mint salad
- Radish – eat whole with salt flakes and butter
- Spinach – sauté and serve up with eggs
- Squash – sauté and add to a frittata
- Sugar snap peas – simmer until tender and toss with olive oil and lemon juice
- Sweetcorn – add to a chicken soup
- Tomato – slice and layer with basil leaves and fresh mozarella
- Watercress – make a cooling salad with cucumber and avocado
- Zucchini – grate to make delicious fritters
More from Anthia: www.ovvioorganics.com.au | Facebook | Twitter
