If you’re anything like me then you probably find yourself perusing the farmer’s markets each weekend during the summer to enjoy the bounty of colorful produce – fresh tomatoes in every color, shape and size; green and yellow squash and juicy peaches. I love picking out new items each week depending on what looks fresh. But sometimes I run out of ideas of what to do!
I’ve put together some of my favorite simple recipes you can try to use up your end-of-summer farmer’s market finds.
Last summer I made this recipe for Blackberry Buttermilk Cake and I could not stop making it! The buttermilk makes for a flavorful and moist cake, and the fresh berries add a great tang! I’ve also made this cake with raspberries and blueberries and it came out just as good. At Rosh Hoshanah I even made the cake with apples on top – so experiment away!
My in-laws’ garden this year is overgrown with sweet cherry tomatoes – but how many tomato salads can you eat!? I love this recipe for Broken Lasagna with Zucchini Tomato Sauce to use up some of those garden fresh tomatoes and squash.
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This past weekend we picked out some cucumbers for a salad with some fresh-from-the-garden basil. To make a simple cucumber-basil salad: slice the cucumbers into rounds and chop the basil. Make a simple dressing made with 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1 Tbsp sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the cucumbers with the dressing and basil and serve!
And for the simplest farm fresh dessert with peaches – try my grilled peaches with mascarpone and yogurt.
Ingredients
4 semi-ripe fresh peaches
2-3 Tbsp vegetable oil
Cooking spray
3/4 cup mascarpone cheese, left at room temperature
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
Directions
In a small bowl mix together mascarpone, greek yogurt, lemon zest and honey. Set aside.
Cut peaches in half along the seam and twist off half to remove the pit. Brush with vegetable oil lightly on each side.
Heat up your grill, or heat up grill pan to medium-high heat. If using a grill pan, coat with cooking spray.
Grill peaches flesh side down until warmed through and and showing grill marks, about 4 minutes. Remove from direct heat, or turn heat down to low, and cover until peaches are warmed through, another 4-5 minutes.
Serve warm peaches with a generous portion of mascarpone and yogurt mixture. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon, fresh mint or some extra lemon zest.
