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Bring Summer Garden Flavors to Life With Mushrooms

6 Delicious Recipes For Your Garden Veggies

Having a garden full of fresh, flavorful produce is the ultimate summer treat but it can also be overwhelming when it seems that everything is ripening at the same time. We gathered six veggie-heavy meals you can add to your menu when you need to use up and enjoy your garden vegetables.

While mushrooms don’t fall under the traditional garden veggie category, they do make a great recipe partner for summer vegetables, complementing their flavors and providing many of the same nutritional benefits. What sets mushrooms apart from other produce aisle residents is their unmatched vitamin D and selenium content.

As you head out to gather your backyard treasures, keep these harvest tips in mind:

Be careful not to break, nick or bruise your veggies. The less you handle them, the longer they’ll store.

Bigger isn’t necessarily better. Especially with vegetables like zucchini, it may be exciting to see how big they can get but their flavor decreases with size.

Know the most optimal times to harvest your vegetables:
- Carrots: When they reach 1 inch in diameter. During dry, cool periods you can leave them in the ground a bit longer if you’re not quite ready to eat them.
- Cucumbers: When they are 6 to 9 inches long, bright green and firm. Harvest often to avoid oversized fruit that is dull in color and less flavorful.
- Herbs: When their flavor-producing oils and aroma are at their highest and before they start to flower. Be sure to keep your harvest to less than one-third of the plant.
- Peppers: When they reach full size and are firm to the touch. They can be harvested when green/yellow or allowed to ripen further to red/orange for a sweeter flavor.
- Radishes: When they reach about 1 inch in diameter. Radishes develop rapidly so they should be checked frequently.
- Squash: When they reach 4 to 6 inches long for yellow crookneck squash and 6 to 8 inches long for yellow straight neck. Look for a shiny or glossy appearance, which indicates tenderness.
- Tomatoes: When they are fully colored but still firm.
- Zucchini: Harvest them young and often. It’s generally best to harvest at about 5 to 7 inches long.