June/July Market Update

Things have been a little crazy lately so this market update is going to be a mish mash of June and July and a culmination of what I was able to pick up at the farmers market over the past few weeks.

Summer is the BEST when it comes to produce. Every week when I head down to the market there is something new coming through and the selection is abundant and colourful. The first summer tomatoes are starting to appear and strawberries and gooseberries (something I had never seen until I moved to the UK!?) are everywhere.

Here's a selection of what's in season in the UK right now:

Artichokes

Beetroot

Broad beans

Garlic

Runner beans

Tomatoes

Strawberries

Gooseberries

Basil

Parsley

A few ideas for what you can do with the above....

Artichokes: Cook and dip the leaves in hollandaise for a very fancy treat

Beetroot: Make a delicious beetroot and apple relish to put on burgers and sandwiches (I did exactly that with the beetroot I bought on the weekend - I used this Riverford kitchen recipe: https://www.riverford.co.uk/recipes/beetroot-relish)

Broad beans: Shell and add to salads for a bit of extra crunch.

Garlic: Um pretty much anything. Why not try using some of your garlic to make my lemon and caper pasta (https://www.tablefor8.org/post/lemon-and-caper-pasta-with-herby-pangrattato)?

Runner beans: Shell these and add them to a zesty risotto with lemon and mint.

Tomatoes: Ooo there are so many options. You could make bruschetta (https://www.tablefor8.org/post/tomato-bruschetta) or roast them down into a jammy, sweet pasta sauce. There is a great Ottolenghi recipe that slow roasts tomatoes with ginger, chilli and garlic that I've made a few times (https://ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/butternut-squash-with-ginger-tomatoes-and-lime-yoghurt) so you could try that as well.

Strawberries: Add cream or whipped creme fraiche and eat as is for a perfect summer dessert.

Gooseberries: You could make a cordial or slice out of these but if using in baking make sure you cook them down first otherwise they will be tough and furry (not what you want).

Basil: Pesto, pesto, pesto!

Parsley: I often make a salsa verde or chimchurri sauce with leftover parsley I have. It's a great salad topper or marinade for beef or chicken.

Aside from produce, flowers are also 10/10 right now. Dahlias, cornflowers and peonies are what I've been reaching for but there are so many out and about. What a wonderful time of year.