Monday, June 1, 2009

June is the new May


"Hey Cheapo! What types of fruits and vegetables are in season during the month of June?"

School is out, baseball season has opened, camps are beginning - believe it or not, summer is upon us. Ahhhh - we've waited SO long! Time to dig out your cool salad and fruity recipes; it's picnic time. Make good use of the food that is in season. You will not only benefit from quality, but in quantity and price too!


June
  • Peak Season: cherries (don't blink, they'll be gone before you know it!), limes, blackberries, boysenberries, Vidalia & Wala Wala onions, apricots, okra
  • Strong in Season: berries, sweet corn, peaches, tomatoes, beans
  • Arriving: cucumbers, dill, nectarines, mission figs, early grapes, garlic, red onion, tomatoes
  • Season Ending: fava beans, beets, carrots, ramps, sweet onions, peas, salad greens (but they will be back in the fall)
While on your shopping adventures, be sure to take this printable list from Budget Savvy as a reminder on What's in Season!

As a bonus, here is a recipe for one of my favorite summertime pasta salads. I'm telling you, people will rave about it and will consistantly wonder what is in it! Though, there is one rule: if you attend my church, you are NEVER allowed to bring it to church functions...because that's what I bring...hee hee The recipe makes use of the up and coming cucumbers, dill and red onion.

Spaghetti Dill Salad

1 lb. package spaghetti, cooked, drained & cooled
1 jar T. Marzetti's Slaw dressing
2 cucumbers, seeded
1/2 red onion
2 TB dried dill or eqivilent of fresh

Finely chop cucumber & red onion in food processor until VERY fine. In large bowl, mix dressing, dill, cucumber & red onion. Toss in spaghetti until well coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight. It will look really foamy at first, but by morning, the pasta will have absorbed the liquid. Stir before serving. I don't have a picture as of now, but will add one the next time this salad is made.

The T. Marzetti Slaw dressing can either be found in your groc shop's produce section, or you can find the shelf version in the aisle with salad dressings. I happened to find this huge bottle in the clearance bin for $5.00 - plus I printed this coupon for $1.00 off. Being doubled sized, I only used half of the jar for one salad. Definitely a better deal only paying $2.00 per recipe for the dressing.

If you decide to make this recipe, come back and let me know how you liked it...and how much everyone bothered you for the recipe. *wink*

1 comment:

Tanya said...

I made this excellent dish and took it to a summer christening party. Not one bit left! Definitely a winner!