Late summer is one of the best times of year to cook with fresh produce. Tomatoes, zucchini, corn, peppers, peaches, berries and herbs are still plentiful, but cooler weather is right around the corner. If your garden, farmers market haul or grocery trip has left you with more produce than you can use, a few simple techniques can help prevent it from going to waste.
Start with what needs to be eaten first. Ripe tomatoes, peaches, berries and fresh herbs generally deserve attention before sturdier vegetables. Plan meals around the most perishable ingredients rather than waiting until they begin to spoil.
Freezing is one of the easiest ways to save summer flavors. Berries can be frozen in a single layer on a baking sheet before transferring them to a freezer container. Corn can be cut from the cob and frozen for future soups and casseroles. Tomatoes can also be frozen for later use in cooked sauces and soups, where their softened texture won’t matter.
Have vegetables that need to be used today? Turn odds and ends into a meal. Zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, onions and corn can become a quick skillet dinner, pasta sauce, soup or roasted vegetable mixture. Overripe tomatoes are particularly useful for sauces and salsa.
Fresh herbs deserve attention, too. Chop them into softened butter, make pesto or freeze chopped herbs with a little water in ice cube trays for future cooking.
Finally, don’t overlook combinations of summer and early fall ingredients. Peaches pair beautifully with warm spices, fresh corn can become chowder, and tomatoes can accompany heartier pasta dishes.
Late summer produce doesn’t have to disappear when the season changes. A little planning now can put some of August’s best flavors on your table well into fall.
