Farmers Market-June Produce and recipe ideas

So many good things coming to the market in June!

Cabbage, beans, blueberries, cherries, lettuce, potatoes, rhubarb, and strawberries are all on the top of my list.

I see jams and fruit crisps in my future. Stir fry's and veggie packets. Oh my!

See some of my favorite ways to use these fruits and veggies below!

One of my favorite ways to use cabbage and potatoes are in foil packets cooked either in the oven or better yet on the grill. Chop up cabbage, potatoes, carrots, peppers, onions, and whatever other veggies you like. Add some olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper, plus any other seasoning you'd like. Place in foil and wrap up to cook. This is one of my favorite side dishes to make when grilling. My bestie and I make this often during the summer. Pretty much every time we grill out and its so easy! Just time consuming with all the chopping. A great way to use the cabbage and potatoes. 

Green beans I like a couple different ways, but nothing beats southern green beans, cooked with potatoes, and either ham or bacon. A great way to use the beans and potatoes. Another way I like beans is in Green Bean Amandine. I really like Joanna Gaines' recipe. I made some minor adjustments based on what I had on hand. You basically cook the green beans until cooked al dente approx. 6-8 min. Then set aside. Then melt 2tbsp butter and 2tsp of garlic powder (my change), whisk in 1/2 C brown sugar, 2 1/2 tbsp of white whine vinegar (my change), 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar, then toss in green beans until well coated. Add 1 C toasted sliced almonds, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp ground pepper and toss until well combined. Leftovers store for 3 days. I found these beans to be even better the next day!

Rhubarb I love in Strawberry Rhubarb pie. My mom used to make this when I was a kid and it was sooo good. I found a recipe of my great aunt's that I plan on making sometime in the future. Another great way to use strawberries and rhubarb as well as the other berries is in a Chia Seed Jam. I just made a batch with frozen blueberries. The Chia Seed Jam recipe is 3.5 lbs. of berries/fruit, 1 C sugar/Splenda (I use Splenda), 2.5 C water, and 1/4 C chia seeds. You add the berries and water to a saucepan and cook on HIGH and bring to a boil. Cook the berries until broken down and most of the water has evaporated. Turn off the heat and stir in the chia seeds. The chia seeds not only acts as a natural thickener but it adds additional fiber to the jam. 

                                     

One of my favorite ways to use cherries is in a fruit crisp. Cherries are one of my favorites, but I also love blueberries as well. I would be interested in trying a strawberry rhubarb version of this as well. The recipe I use is inspired by Joanna Gaines' cherry almond crisp. With some of my own adjustments and I make a bulk crisp topping that keeps in the freezer instead of hers. For the filling add 2lbs cherries pitted, finely grated zest of 1 lemon, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp almond extract, 1/2 C sugar/Splenda (I use Splenda), and 1/4 C cornstarch. Mix the cherries with the lemon juice, zest, and extract. Then in a small bowl combine the sugar/Splenda and cornstarch and sprinkle over the cherries to coat. Divide the fruit mixture into ramekins or whatever dish that is oven safe. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, For the bulk crumble: I C oats, 2.5 C flour, 1C brown sugar, 1 tsp ground cardamom, 2 tsp of ground cinnamon (I used a pumpkin pie spice in place of the cardamom and cinnamon), 2 tsp salt, 2 tsp extract either vanilla or almond (I used almond), and 12 oz of unsalted butter. Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and combine with hands. Rub the bits of butter into the dry mixture with the tips of your fingers until all the butter is broken up and incorporated. You should have a coarse crumble. Scoop this into a freezer Ziploc bag or another freezer container. This crumble will last up to a year in the freezer. The crumble remains loose even when frozen, so it is easy to just take a spoonful out or more as needed. 

Another way I like to use berries is in my overnight oats. I've used blueberries and cherries in my overnight oats and love them. I add some chia seeds for fiber, 1/2 C oats, a smidge of cinnamon, a tsp of PB2 powder, a tsp of coconut sugar or maple syrup/honey, a smidge of fruit (6-7 large cherries or 1/4 c blueberries), and 1 C of almond milk approximately. Refrigerate overnight and I microwave mine in the morning because I like my oats hot. On occasion I will add some vanilla or almond extract or other nuts like pecans or almonds. This is my go-to for weekday breakfasts. Its healthy and you can change it up to keep it interesting. Overnights really are versatile you can do almost anything to them. 

What are some ways you like to use the produce you will find at the market in June? I am especially interested in how people are using plums and turnips.