Recipes: Fresh from the Garden or Grocery Store
Discover delicious recipes made with fresh ingredients straight from your garden or local grocery store. From crisp veggies to flavorful herbs, these easy recipes celebrate seasonal goodness in every bite!
Fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs bring vibrant flavor that elevates every recipe!
Let’s have fun with the best herbs, fruits, and vegetables… you’ll be making tasty recipes year-round. Whether you’re picking fresh from your backyard garden or grabbing seasonal vegetables at your local farmer’s market or grocery section, there’s nothing quite like cooking with fresh ingredients.
Fresh herbs, berries, and garden vegetables not only boost flavor, they also elevate your meals with vibrant color, essential nutrients, and that just-picked taste.
Fresh produce is packed with flavor and nutrients. Herbs like basil, cilantro, and parsley can turn an everyday dish into something extraordinary. Vegetables like zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, and leafy greens are staples in recipes ranging from salads to stir-fries.
Homegrown or freshly purchased ingredients are typically better tasting and more aromatic
From Basil to jalapenos, aloe, to swiss chard, pasley, oregano, broccoli, and snow peas, these are all items I’ve grown in my garden. While some plants do well, some don’t produce as much as I’d like over time, and some produce year after year with great success. I’m curious what grows well for you (and where that is). I grew up in NJ with a huge garden, lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, melons, and corn. We had fresh produce all summer long.
I myself do not have the greenest thumb, but I do grow herbs, and I can grow jalapenos! And every year or so, I try my hand at something new!
I love cooking with fresh herbs. Oregano, parsley, basil, lemon thyme, Thai basil, and rosemary grow well for me year after year; some plants survive our mild winters.
I love jalapenos, they are just the right kind of spice for me. Not too hot that I can’t eat them. I have a handful of jalapeno plants, one is over 6 years old and still produces jalapenos all year long…
Which is why you can find lots of jalapeno recipes here,
learn how to pickled jalapenos, make jalapeno pepper jelly, and add them to my favorite cilantro lime sauce!
And my most requested recipe, I made two double batches in the last week for parties this Jalapeno Bacon Mac and Cheese is always devoured.
Picked, Purchased, or Shared… Delicious Recipes Start Here:
No matter if you are into gardening or prefer to get your produce at the grocery store, I have some fun recipes to try. Maybe you’ll stop by a roadside stand, or farmers market, or have a friend who has a garden.
I look forward to fresh-grown produce, any chance I can get it. In the summer, my all-time seasonal favorites are zucchini, tomatoes, corn, jalapenos… I’ve grown lettuce, broccoli, and snow peas, but I rarely grow them all consistently.
Let’s get on with the summer specialties!
Zucchini– you’ll find tons of great uses for zucchini here. I just love this zucchini italiano recipe my mom always made it, and it’s still a favorite! And if you love soup, even in the summer you’ve gotta make this creamy zucchini soup!
Tomatoes– there really is nothing like a home-grown tomato, and here you’ll find plenty of tomato recipes. These recipes include using canned and fresh tomatoes, fresh tomatoes can easily be substituted for canned in most recipes.
Corn– I love when corn on the cob is nice and sweet, loaded with flavor. But if you don’t have any or it’s out of season, most recipes can use frozen white corn- it tastes very similar! I prefer it over the frozen yellow corn, but sometimes stores don’t carry white corn, so you can use what you can find in these corn recipes.
Avocados-Now I love guacamole, but wow you can do so much with avocados, from my favorite sandwich, to snacking on these avocado cream cheese wontons, and this super easy avocado caprese, full of fresh veggies is this California Roll BOWL, the perfect easy item to make anytime and give this pineapple guac a try- it’s paired up with coconut chicken!
If you are looking for fun summer FRUIT recipes, give these a try.
Strawberries– OMG, the possibilities are endless, and there are decent strawberries year-round, but when they’re in season, they really win the prize. From this 1 hour strawberry shortcake to overnight oats, nothing beats pretty pink strawberry frosting, and I have lots of varieties! And a real show stopper is this Frozen Strawberry Margarita Pie with Pretzel Crust.
Raspberry Recipes– oh, and don’t miss this great vanilla cake, raspberry filling chocolate frosting, it’s yummy!
Blueberries– I think blueberries are my favorite fruit: I love blueberry muffins, and blueberry scones are amazing, don’t let pie seem complicated… make a blueberry galette is always on repeat in my kitchen, my go to syrup to make is blueberry syrup, and it’s perfect in Blueberry Margaritas– which I know to make often! If you need a good cookie for breakfast, these grab-and-go blueberry oatmeal breakfast cookies are a must.
Blackberries– aren’t they just gorgeous, always plump and such a deep color, they go great in drinks and appetizers, take a look…
Lemons– this lemon pasta salad is sure to win you over! As well as my all-time favorite Lemon Wine Sauce, it’s like liquid gold! And if you have an abundance of lemons, juice them and freeze the juice to use later. You can freeze whole lemons and grate them rind and all when you want to add a nice lemon juice and zest to recipes!
Limes– key lime pie, and my all time favorite sauce is Cilantro Lime Sauce. These coconut lime scones are so flavorful, and limes are a must in these Margarita Cupcakes!
Cherry Recipes– cherry muffins, and they are great with cherry lime curd! And give this Cherry Italian Cream Soda a try!
Cilantro– if there is one recipe you make from this whole list, make this Cilantro Lime Sauce! It’s my favorite on tacos and so much more.
Basil– Fresh basil is always a winner, and a great summer favorite is this feta basil balsamic pasta salad. Try these mini basil bundt cakes, how about some marinated caprese– it’s a must to have in the fridge to snack on. And if snacking is as much fun for you as it is for me, enjoy some caprese crostini.
Rosemary– a fun twist on a summer classic, this Garlic Rosemary Potato Salad is so fun! I typically like my chocolate chip cookies just by themselves, but WOW, these Rosemary Chocolate Chip Cookies take them over the top to fantastic. These pork chops are sure to win you over. And before we know it, it’ll be the holidays, and you have to make this Cranberry Rosemary Toffee!
Parsley– Nothing is better than homemade buttermilk ranch, and this green goddess dressing tastes amazing. Quinoa Tabbouleh is full of fresh flavors!
dill– Dill adds a fresh, bright flavor, Lemon Dill Potato Salad, and how about some quick pickles, a must if you have an abundance of cucumbers! And this pickle chicken is wildly tasty!
oregano– brings on the Greek and Italian vibes, so try this Greek Pasta Salad and Italian Chopped Sub Salad.
lavender– Lavender Syrup, and the perfect summer drink is Lavender Lemonade, and this wonderful and oh so pretty… Chocolate Lavender Cake.
mint- healthy mint chocolate chip smoothie, and I love fresh mint in this Roasted Cauliflower Pasta Salad and this yogurt dip is a must, especially for Greek beef kabob style meals.
Why I Ignore Plant Spacing Rules — And My Garden Still Thrives!
I rarely plant items with the spacing they suggest, it may work well if you live someone else or aren’t planing in containers. I think plants like friends! And it seems to work well for me!