Like a good parent should, my Mom always told me to eat my vegetables. I never disliked vegetables, and now as an adult I have learned to appreciate a wide variety and love learning new ways to prepare them. Living in Hawaii, I have a new found appreciation for Farmer’s markets and eating locally. If you are eating more than one serving of vegetables daily, you are one-step ahead of the average American, so kudos to you! Whether you are a veggie-lover, only eat them for the health benefits, or are new to the entire concept of green stuff on your plate, it is always a good idea to try to eat produce that is in season. The benefits vary from helping to eliminate the environmental damage caused by shipping your food thousands of miles, supporting local farmers financially, as well as the health benefits from eating less processed, fresher foods that are higher in nutrients. With so many vegetables available, it should be hard to get bored. Try some of the vegetables and recipes listed below. They are all in season for the month of June!
What’s In-Season Now
- Artichokes
- Arugula
- Asparagus
- Avocados
- Beans, green
- Beets
- Bok choy
- Broccoli
- Broccoli rabe
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Chard
- Chicory
- Collards
- Corn
- Cucumbers
- Eggplant
- Endive
- Fava beans
- Fennel
- Garlic
- Horseradish
- Jicama
- Kale
- Leeks
- Lettuce
- Mushrooms
- Mustard greens
- Okra
- Onions
- Peas
- Potatoes
- Radishes
- Rhubarb
- Scallions
- Shallots
- Spinach
- Sprouts
- Squash, summer
- Tomatillos
- Tomatoes
- Turnips
You can check out which fruits and veggies are in season each month and tasty recipes like the ones below by visiting The Center for Urban Education and Sustainable Agriculture website.
Corn & Crab Salad
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 whole Dungeness crab
1 leek
2 Spanish onions
1fennel bulb
⅓ cup whole black peppercorns
½ bunch flat leaf parsley
4 bay leaves
4 lemons
2 avocados
½ teaspoon vegetable oil, plus more as needed
2 ears sweet corn
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
PREPARATION
1. Boil the crab in a stock of 2 gallons of water, adding the leek, onions, fennel, black peppercorns, parsley, bay leaves, and 3 lemons. Once cooked, move to an ice bath to let cool. Pick out the meat and reserve.
2. Blend 1 of the avocados with ½ teaspoon vegetable oil, ½ teaspoon lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend to a creamy texture.
3. Remove the corn kernels from the cobs. Roast the corn in a heavy bottomed skillet on the stove with oil, salt, and pepper until golden brown.
4. To plate, spread the avocado mixture first. Add the roasted corn on top. Cut the remaining avocado into large sections and arrange on top with the crab.
Source: David Kurtz, Maven
Caramelized Fennel Soup with Fava Beans & Orange Relish
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Soup
4 ounces olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 small to medium onion, cleaned and cut into julienne
4 bulbs fennel, cleaned and cut into julienne; retain and chop the fronds for garnish
1 large clove of garlic, sliced
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3 cups milk
1 cup half-and-half
1 bunch fresh thyme, picked and minced
Salt and pepper
Relish
2 seedless oranges, sectioned and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon minced cilantro
1 tablespoon minced shallot
¼ cup fresh fava beans, blanched and skins removed
1 tablespoon honey
PREPARATION
1. In a sauce pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat; add the butter and until it browns. Add the onion and fennel and cook until caramelized, about 12 minutes. Add garlic and deglaze with the orange juice. Add the milk and half-and-half. Let simmer 10-15 minutes.
2. Add the thyme and purée in small batches in a tabletop blender or with a blender until very smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm on the stove.
3. In a bowl, mix all of the relish ingredients together.
4. Ladle the hot soup into a bowl and top with relish, about 1 tablespoon per serving. Garnish the chopped fennel frond.
Source: Mark Richardson, Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco
Sources:
“CUESA Home.” CUESA. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2012. <http://cuesa.org/node/1357>.
Recipees:
Kurtz, David. “Corn and Crab Salad.” CUESA. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2012. <http://cuesa.org/recipe/corn-and-crab-salad>
Richardson, Mark. “CUESA Home.” Carmalized Fennel Soup with Fava Beans and Orange Relish. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2012. <http://cuesa.org/recipe/caramelized-fennel-soup-fava-bean-and-orange-relish>.
