What’s cheap and in season in summer: vegetables

Seasonal produce is at its maximum flavour and available at great prices, perfect for barbecues and fresh salads in the summer. With warmer temperatures it is even more important to store vegetables correctly so they last longer. Here are our summer storage secrets you need to know.

Vegetables: what’s cheap and in season in summer

You’ll find plentiful courgettes, cucumbers, tomatoes, sweetcorn, capsicums, aubergines, and radishes at affordable prices in the summer months. Many summer vegetables are great eaten raw or barbecued, and are also perfect for making fresh summer rolls. 

Cucumber

While cucumbers can be purchased at other times of the year, they are the cheapest in this season and most likely available on multi-buy specials. Cucumbers are great eaten fresh chopped in a Greek salad, in a watermelon and cucumber salad, or in a tomato, cucumber salsa. Cooling and refreshing cucumbers can be added to smoothies or turned into sorbets. Make tzatziki sauce or a creamy cucumber and avocado dip to go alongside platters or spread onto sandwiches and wraps. Pickling cucumbers is also a great way to make them last longer and keep them crunchy. 

Capsicum

Colourful and crisp, capsicums are best to buy in summer. Roasting capsicums intensifies the sweet flavours of the pepper and are tasty on antipasto platters, in dips, mixed through pasta, or as a pizza topping. They can also be preserved in a jar with oil and vinegar, so you can enjoy capsicums throughout the year.  

Courgette

Grill on the barbecue, stir fry with your favourite vegetables and sauces, or roast them seasoned with oil and herbs and spices. Make sure to store courgettes in the vegetable drawer in the fridge to keep them fresh. It is best to cook courgettes before freezing them. Check out our 8 ways with courgettes for more ideas.

Tomato

Available in large quantities and a range of varieties, tomatoes are best bought in summer. The fridge is the best place to store tomatoes and keep them fresh. If you plan on eating the tomatoes that day you can bring them out of the fridge for best flavour. When tomatoes are cheap it is the time to make chutneys, tomato passata, and other sauces. For more ideas check out our 8 ways with tomatoes blog. 

Avocado

The creaminess of avocados makes them perfect in a variety of dishes, desserts, and drinks. A classic favourite smashed on toast, or into guacamole. Avocados are also great tossed through salad, blended in smoothies, churned into healthy ice creams with berries, baked into cakes and brownies, as well as a filling in savoury pancakes, wraps, and sandwiches. Once cut avocados will start to turn brown, check out our guide on the best way to store your cut avocado and freeze excess avocados so they stay fresher for longer.

Sweetcorn 

A crowd favourite for flavour and price in summer it can be easy to suddenly have a lot of sweetcorn. Make sure you keep the corn in their husks and store them in the fridge to make them last longer. Before freezing, cook them on the cob or cut the corn kernels off the cob and store them inside a resealable bag, and reheat by boiling or steaming, or just add to soups or stir frys.  As an alternative, sweetcorn croquettes are sure to be a hit with family and friends.

Want more inspiration?

Check out our Easy Choice Family Kai meal planner for waste-free weekly meal plans, available to download for free!