Summer: vegetables and seasonality in the kitchen

All the (good) properties of summer vegetables

Summer is the season that more than any other offers us the opportunity to taste fresh vegetables rich in organoleptic and nutritional qualities.

The criterion of seasonality does not only concern the correct attitude for which one prefers to consume vegetables when they are fully ripe, but also implements a 'virtuous' and green behavior, inspired by sustainability, which favors the environment as a whole and it helps Nature to carry out its cycles without forcing.

So let's avoid buying the first fruits (which are much more expensive and less tasty than seasonal products) and, in the same way, let's not insist on buying vegetables that are now 'out of time', because we would risk finding many by now withered, having to give up using them .

In every month of the year, Nature offers us a great variety of vegetables, but the summer ones are particularly good, beautiful, colorful and tasty, as if to remind us of the liveliness of a season that invites us to socialize: the great variety of vegetables available in summer , allows you to prepare countless recipes, with the certainty that the result will certainly be appreciable and tasty.

Seasonal vegetables: how to best use them in the kitchen

The vegetable symbol of the summer is certainly the tomato, the king of cuisine that is used in a thousand dishes, always giving them a touch of color and flavor, starting from the simple (but unparalleled) first course of pasta with tomato and basil sauce, up to more elaborate dishes and meat and fish dressings.

Even the salad becomes richer with the addition of tomato: just a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of oregano, to immediately recall the taste of summer and make lunch in the office more lively: transporting the salad to the convenient lunch box we will have the opportunity to season it at the moment, because we can also insert the containers of salt, oil and vinegar in the special compartments without the risk of them spilling.

On the pizza, then, the tomato cannot be missing: margherita, capricciosa or with the addition of peppers or other summer vegetables, it is prepared quickly and cooks perfectly in the electric oven at home or in the gas one, in the garden during an evening with friends, making the atmosphere even more light and cheerful. (See all Pizza recipes)

Aubergines lend themselves to the preparation of an exquisite Sicilian caponata, a side dish suitable for every dish, but also for the timeless parmigiana: delicious layers of fried aubergine slices, seasoned with cheese and tomato, a simple but perfect single dish on any occasion, which you can also enjoy it cold and you can take it with you, for a day at the beach or a trip to the mountains, in a versatile lunch box with food warmer.

And what about summer fruit? Just remember that it is the richest in vitamins and is available in such a wide variety as to include peaches, grapes, apricots, plums, watermelon, melon ... Each fruit has its own unique flavor that can be mixed in the preparation of delicious smoothies, very fresh milkshakes and healthy juices, prepared quickly and easily transportable in a practical and comfortable thermal bottle.

Watch out for waste in the kitchen

Consuming vegetables in season is a good habit that benefits our health and well-being, but let's not forget that choosing fruit and vegetables according to the seasonality criterion is also economical.

When, in the preparation of recipes, we use products that are in full ripeness, we do not run the risk of seeing them deteriorate quickly and, consequently, of having to throw them away, wasting time and money.

Let us therefore adopt or maintain the good habit of carefully selecting purchases: by choosing seasonal fruit and vegetables we will be sure of spending less and obtaining optimal results in the kitchen, in this way also ensuring at the table a booster of energy, vitality and taste.