June Harvest: 7 Things I’m Picking From My Garden This Month (and How I’m Using My Harvest!)
Want a little sneak peek into my weekly routine in the month of June? While I usually have to wait until late July/August for a big harvest in the Midwest, we’re still enjoying plenty of ripe fruits and veggies at Oglesby Gardens. Here are seven things I’ve harvested from my garden this month, with some garden-to-table inspiration for each ingredient!
Broccoli
One of my favorite ways to eat broccoli is roasting it. Throw together your roasted broccoli with almond slivers, Kalamata olives, crumbled feta, shallots, and a honey-mustard dressing. The flavor combo is out of this world, and if you make a bulk batch, you can eat it throughout the week for easy lunches.
Cauliflower
Okay, maybe I’m gonna blow your mind, but hear me out: fresh cauliflower in smoothies. I promise you can barely taste it once it’s all blended up, and it packs a nutritional punch. This chocolatey cauliflower smoothie is basically a dessert.
If you want to preserve cauliflower, the easiest way is to rice it and freeze it – that way, you don’t have to blanch it first. Simply grate your cauliflower, spread it on a sheet tray to freeze, and then package it up to store in your freezer.
Fennel
I love to treat fennel like an onion: I chop it and sauté it in a pan and then serve it on top of chicken or beef. You can kick it up with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon. Fennel is great for your digestion.
Kale + Greens
I make a salad a day in the summer. My spring greens are pretty much done now that we’ve got the summer heat, so I’ll be switching to kale. You should get some greens on your plate (or in your cup!) at least once a day. You can always serve a side of greens, or add some to a sandwich or wrap, omelet, soup, and more.
Raspberries + Strawberries
I’m harvesting berries daily, which means I’m overloaded on berries. So, I freeze what I’m not eating that day by vacuum sealing them in 2-4 cup bags. One of my favorite sweet treats in the summer is some smashed raspberries and strawberries over vanilla ice cream.
Beets
I gotta be honest, when it’s this hot I am not craving roasted beets, which is my go-to way to prepare beets. But in the summer when I don’t want to turn the oven on, I like to spiral beets on a salad. Otherwise, take my advice and add beets to your drinks. You can juice beets with lemon, ginger, and apple for a refreshing drink. Or boil your beets, and then add them to your smoothies – they make a lovely creamy consistency.
Herbs
Do not wait until mid-summer to harvest your herbs – harvest as they grow! I walk out to my garden daily to harvest at least one herb to eat that day, whether it's in a smoothie, salad, or soup. If your herbs are starting to get bushy, remember you can dry or freeze clippings to use throughout the year (like in dried tea blends!).
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