July 2, 2015

seasonal produce guide for switzerland: july

seasonal produce guide for switzerland: july

Every first week of the month, I bring you a seasonal produce guide for Switzerland so that you can make smarter choices at the supermarket by buying the tastiest fruits and vegetables available!  In my monthly guides I round up Savormania recipes for each of the ingredients as well as favorites found across the web. As seasonal produce varies from country to country, I chose to stick to Switzerland — my home country and where the majority of my readers are. If you’re one of my International readers, don’t worry, I’m sure you will find lots of great recipes listed below both from my blog and from other great food bloggers out there. With no further ado…here are July’s seasonal fruits and vegetables!

APPLES

chopped apple

I love the crunchiness of apples and the surprises they hold — sometimes they’re sweet, other times they’re more sour. Depending on the varieties you pick, some apples are great for sweet desserts and breakfast foods while sourer versions are perfect for salty dishes, like stuffing chicken or including in a salad. I cook a lot with apples, with my favorite way to use them being in muffins, cakes and breads.

Best way to store: In the fridge inside a vegetable drawer, covered in a slightly wet paper towel

Shelf life: 3 to 5 days on the kitchen counter, 3 to 4 weeks in the fridge 

Apple recipes found on Savormania:

haroset

Haroset – jewish date paste

all-bran breakfast muffins

Apple and all-bran muffins 

cinnamon apple bread

Apple cinnamon bread

Apple recipes found elsewhere:

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APRICOT

Just as delicious in pies as in poultry dishes, apricots are gorgeous  orange fruits to include in your cooking if you haven’t already. Apricots depend on warm weather to grow, which is why you can’t really find any available during the winter. They come from the same family as peaches, nectarines, cherries and plums, with their juicy sweet flesh packed with vitamins A and C, potassium, phosphorus, fiber, iron and calcium.

Best way to store: Refrigerated in a plastic bag once ripe

Shelf life: 4 to 5 days once ripe

Apricot recipes found elsewhere:

ARUGULA

I’m sorry I still haven’t posted a single recipe with arugula, given that I always have some in my fridge to include in my salads. With its pungent, peppery taste, arugula is a great addition to salads and contains an incredible amount of vitamin A and vitamin K, all while being extreme low-cal. I love adding arugula to a mozzarella and tomato salad, or serving it as a salad tossed with toasted pine nuts, balsamic vinegar and tomatoes. Recipes will come, I promise!

Best way to store: If your arugula comes with roots, wrap them in a slightly wet paper towel and keep in a plastic bag in the fridge’s vegetable drawer. If your arugula comes just with the leaves, store in a plastic bag in the fridge’s vegetable drawer.

Shelf life: 2 to 3 days

Arugula recipes found elsewhere:

BEETS

Beets have been in season since February, but I still haven’t had a chance to cook with them. They’re great in salads or juices, and can be combined with salty or sweet ingredients! I promise I’ll get to cooking with them one day, but for now here are some great recipes from other food bloggers.

Best way to store: Cut the leaves from the beets and store them unwashed in separate plastic bags in the fridge’s vegetable drawer

Shelf life: Leaves are good for 2 to 3 days, the beets for 2 to 3 weeks when refrigerated

Beet recipes found elsewhere:

BELL PEPPERS

diced red pepper

I always have bell peppers — or what I like to simply call peppers — in my fridge, whether the red, yellow, orange or green variety. I love adding them raw to salads or chopping them up into sticks to nibble  on during the day, but if you ask me my favorite way to cook them it’s going to be adding them to Asian stir-fries. All bell pepper varieties come from the same fruit but they are of different colors depending on their level of maturity. Green bell peppers are the ones that are harvested first and are the least mature, then yellow and orange and then finally red. Red bell peppers have the highest amount of beta-carotene and vitamin C, making them the best choice among all.

Best way to store: Refrigerated in a plastic bag

Shelf life: 1 to 2 weeks

Bell pepper recipes found on Savormania:

bulgur red lentil salad

Bulgur red lentil salad

salmon fillets in red pepper sauce

Salmon fillets in red pepper sauce

Bell pepper recipes found elsewhere:

BLACKBERRIES, BLUEBERRIES & RASPBERRIES

blueberries

I really like adding berries to baking, although they’re just as good eaten raw as they are cooked! Bursting with vitamin C, berries’ benefits are numerous: they’re powerful antioxidants, have cancer-fighting properties, improve your digestive health and boost your immune system among others. When choosing berries, look for plump ones that are not too mushy or moldy.

Best way to store: Refrigerated in a shallow container covered with plastic wrap

Shelf life: 2 to 3 days (for blackberries and raspberries) and 1 to 2 weeks (for blueberries)

Blackberry, blueberry and raspberry recipes found on Savormania:

mixed berry and banana baked oatmeal

Mixed berry and banana baked oatmeal

blueberry muffins

Blueberry muffins

raspberry-blackberry-coconut-loaf-cake

Raspberry blackberry coconut loaf cake

Blackberry blueberry and raspberry recipes found elsewhere:

BOK CHOY

Bok choy, also known as pak choi, is a Chinese cabbage that you’ll mainly find added to Asian stir-fries. It has a spinach-like flavor and is just as delicious steamed as it is stir-fried. To pick the best pak choi, look for firm stems and unblemished leaves.

Best way to store: Refrigerated in a plastic bag, unwashed until ready to use

Shelf life: 3 to 4 days

Bok choy recipes found elsewhere:

BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER & ROMANESCO

cauliflower

I’ve grouped broccoli, cauliflower and romanesco under the same heading because they’re all cruciferous vegetables that happen to be some of the healthiest veggies to add to your diet. Broccoli, cauliflower and romanesco have huge detox benefits for the body, given that they’re full of disease-fighting minerals and vitamins. They’re are so many ways to cook them, ranging from steamed, boiled and roasted to even eating them raw. I always have one of the three in my fridge ready to be cooked during the week.

Best way to store: Mist the heads and wrap in dampened paper towel. Keep in the refrigerator.

Shelf life: 2 to 3 days

Broccoli, cauliflower and romanesco recipes found on Savormania:

cauliflower and broccoli salad

Broccoli and cauliflower salad with mayonnaise dressing

crispy cauliflower cashew soup

Crispy cauliflower cashew soup

roasted cauliflower

Roasted cauliflower with lemon and parsley

Broccoli, cauliflower and romanesco recipes found elsewhere:

CARROT

baby carrots

Carrots are one of my favorite vegetables to cook with! They’re great puréed in soups for their sweetness and consistency, and are so deliciously crunchy in salads. I use them in a wide variety of recipes ranging from Spanish cuisine to Asian. They can be kept for 3-4 weeks in the fridge, which makes them the perfect vegetable to have on hand to quickly add to a recipe.

Best way to store: In the fridge

Shelf life: 3 to 4 weeks

Carrot recipes found on Savormania:

honey soy glazed carrots

Honey soy glazed baby carrots

vegetarian paella

Vegetarian paella

carrot parsley soup

Carrot parsley soup

Carrot recipes found elsewhere:

CABBAGE

Cabbage is one of my favorite vegetables to include in slaws, with either a sweet dressing or an Asian-style vinaigrette. Cabbage can be eaten raw or cooked, although I always prefer it in its raw state. I haven’t featured any cabbage recipes on Savormania yet, but have lots of them to share with you in the coming months!

Best way to store: In a plastic bag in the fridge, kept unwashed until ready to use

Shelf life: Up to one week

Cabbage recipes found elsewhere:

CELERY

chopped celery

I should cook celery much more than I actually do, besides adding it to soups and broths. It can be juiced and combined with other vegetables to make the most delicious drinks and cocktails, it can be pickled, roasted, stir-fried, eaten raw, braised and so many other ways. Its benefits are numerous; celery is low-cal, promotes weight loss, decreases inflammation, soothes the body, controls the body’s alkaline balance and helps digestion among others. If you don’t cook with this vegetable that often, you should definitely give it a try!

Best way to store: Wrapped tightly in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and refrigerated

Shelf life: 1-2 weeks

Celery recipes found on Savormania:

roasted tomato and basil soup

Roasted tomato soup

Celery recipes found elsewhere:

CHERRIES

Summer fruits are my favorites! Bursting with flavor and so much color, cherries are one of the fruits that contain the least calories while being packed with so many nutrients, vitamins and minerals. They have anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and disease-fighting powers, and contain zinc, iron, potassium, manganese and copper. Eat them on their own or add them to smoothies, desserts and fruits salads!

Best way to store: Refrigerated in a plastic bag

Shelf life: 4 to 7 days

Cherry recipes found elsewhere:

 

CHIVES

chives

Chives have a delicious onion flavor, making them great additions to bring extra punch to a dish. Their vibrant green color automatically dresses up a recipe as well, and turn them into perfect garnishes for soups, salads and quiches. I always have dry chives in my pantry, but love to buy fresh chives whenever they’re in season.

Best way to store: wrapped in a slightly wet paper towel and kept in a plastic bag in the fridge

Shelf life: Up to 2 weeks

Chive recipes found on Savormania:

mushroom-and-truffle-oil-risotto

Mushroom truffle oil risotto

goat cheese and sun-dried tomato quiche

Goat cheese and sun-dried tomato quiche

potato and egg salad with peas

Potato and egg salad

Chive recipes found elsewhere:

CUCUMBER

diced cucumber

If I had to pick my favorite vegetable above all, it has got to be cucumber. I love chopping it up and including it in a salad, and adore it even more just cut in sticks and seasoned with salt. Cucumbers are praised for their myriad of health benefits, as they protect your body from many nutritional deficiencies. They’re packed with vitamins, C, K and B, as well as manganese, copper and potassium.

Best way to store: In the refrigerator in a plastic bag, unwashed until ready to use

Shelf life: 1 week

Cucumber recipes found on Savormania:

cumin-spiced-edamame-salad

Cumin-spiced edamame salad

quinoa vegetable salad

Quinoa vegetable salad

bulgur mint salad

Bulgur mint salad

Cucumber recipes found elsewhere:

EGGPLANT

sliced eggplant

I absolutely love eggplant roasted and drizzled with tahini or fried coated in breadcrumbs to include in Italian dishes. When cooking eggplant it is important to first salt the slices to remove the bitterness, boost flavor and prevent it from absorbing too much oil during the cooking process. Begin by slicing the eggplant and placing the slices in a colander. Sprinkle over a generous amount of salt and let sit for 20 to 30 minutes. You’ll notice a lot of liquid dripping from the colander during the process, and that’s completely normal. After the 30 minutes, rinse out the salt and pat the slices dry with paper towel.

Best way to store: Wrapped in plastic and refrigerated

Shelf life: 5 to 7 days

Eggplant recipes found on Savormania:

fried eggplants with tomatoes and olives

Fried eggplant casserole with tomatoes and olives

Eggplant recipes found elsewhere:

FIGS

Figs are truly only available here in Switzerland during the warm summer months. Perfectly ripe figs are a great sweet snack to have on hand. You can also use them in your cooking to top crostini, to bake with, or to add to salads. Pick figs that are soft — not mushy,  but quite tender — and make sure that the stems are still in place.

Best way to store: Refrigerated in a plastic bag

Shelf life: 1 to 2 days

Fig recipes found elsewhere:

KALE

Kale is in season again and I still haven’t cooked with it! Part of the cabbage family, kale owes its incredibly healthy reputation to all the vitamins it contains–ranging from A and C to B6 and K–and to its good omega-3 fatty acid. Kale comes in different colors, such as green and purple, and can be used in a variety of ways. I promise to try cooking with kale in the months to come, but meanwhile here are some other food bloggers’ great recipes.

Best way to store: Do not wash until ready to use and keep in the fridge in a plastic bag

Shelf life: 5 to 7 days

Kale recipes found elsewhere:

KOHLRABI

Available in green or purple varieties, kohlrabi can be eaten raw or cooked and tastes slightly like broccoli as it is part of the same family as other brassicas, such as cauliflower and cabbage. You’ll generally find sliced kohlrabi in a raw vegetable platter served with a dip, but it is also a good vegetable to steam, roast or boil. I haven’t cooked with kohlrabi yet, so here are a couple of delicious recipes below from other food bloggers to try!

Best way to store: Refrigerated in a plastic bag

Shelf life: 4 to 5 days

Kohlrabi recipes found elsewhere:

LETTUCE

Just like arugula, lettuce is a vegetable that I almost always include in salads. Lettuce comes in a myriad of varieties, ranging from curly to flat and from green to red. Always choose lettuce with leaves that aren’t wilted or browned.

Best way to store: Refrigerated in a plastic bag, unwashed until ready to eat

Shelf life: 1 week

Lettuce recipes found on Savormania:

green salad with orange vinaigrette

Green salad with orange vinaigrette

Lettuce recipes found elsewhere:

NECTARINES & PEACHES

Bursting with flavor and vitamins, nectarines and peaches are some of my favorite summer fruits. I honestly can’t wait until summertime comes along to bite into them again! Did you know that peaches were first cultivated in China? These glorious fruits, couple with their relative nectarines, are praised for their health benefits which include maintaining skin health, aiding weight loss, preventing cancer and reducing hair loss among many others.

Best way to store: On the kitchen counter until ripe, then in the fridge in a plastic bag

Shelf life: 1 to 3 days until ripe, then 3 to 5 days in the fridge

Nectarine and peach recipes found on Savormania:

summer peach berry salad

Summer peach berry salad

Nectarine and peach recipes found elsewhere:

ONION

chopped onion

Onions are in season all year round in Switzerland, which is great news given that I cook with them 90% of the time. Onion gives my dishes great flavor and can be used in a variety of cuisines. They come in red, yellow and green varieties which can all be used in different ways. I tend to cook with yellow onion the most often, reserving the red and green onions for salads. There are exceptions to this and I often experiment with cooking with red and green onions too!

Best way to store: in the pantry or in the fridge, but keep them far away from the potatoes! Their rot much quicker when placed next to each other

Shelf life: 2 to 3 months in the pantry or in the fridge

Onion recipes found on Savormania:

spanish potato tortilla

Spanish potato tortilla

stir-fried ginger beef

Stir-fried ginger beef

wheat berry caprese salad

Wheat berry caprese salad

Onion recipes found elsewhere:

PARSLEY

parsley

Parsley is one of my favorite ways to top a dish — it brings texture and color while intensifying and balancing the flavors of a dish.  There are are two types, flat-leaf (more intense in flavor) and curly (less bitter), with the first variety used more to balance out dishes while the second is used more for decorative purposes.

Best way to store: Trim the ends, place in a glass of water, cover with a plastic bag and refrigerate. Change the water when it becomes cloudy.

Shelf life: Up to one week

Parsley recipes found on Savormania:

artichoke and sun-dried tomato bruschetta

Artichoke and sun-dried tomato bruschetta

lasagne aux champignons

Mushroom cheese lasagna

Parsley recipes found elsewhere:

PEAS & SNOW PEAS

snow peas

I always have some frozen peas in my freezer, so that I can easily throw them into soups, stir-fries or meat and chicken dishes in no time. I also love cooking snow peas; their flat relatives that are eaten while still in their pods. Their vibrant color adds a pop of brightness to any dish, as well as lots of nutrients and vitamins.

Best way to store: Refrigerated in a plastic bag

Shelf life: 3 to 4 days

Snow pea and pea recipes found on Savormania:

mint pea soup

Mint pea soup

sesame stir-fry snow peas

Sesame stir-fried snow peas

meatballs with tomato sauce and peas

Meatballs with tomato sauce and peas

Snow pea and pea recipes found elsewhere:

RADISH

radish

Radishes are also often seen as part of a raw vegetable platter served with dips, but there are many other ways to cook this pinkish vegetable, such as roasting or stir-frying. They’re packed with folic acid and potassium, as well as vitamin B6, riboflavin, calcium and magnesium. Always look for firm radishes to get the best crispness out of the vegetable, and make sure to soak them in ice water for a couple of hours before cooking them so that their retain their texture. Radishes need to be eaten just after being sliced.

Best way to store: Refrigerated in a plastic bag

Shelf life: Up to 2 weeks

Radish recipes found on Savormania:

classic israeli salad

Classic israeli salad

Radish recipes found elsewhere:

REDCURRANTS

Redcurrants are often served with other berries such as strawberries and blueberries in fruit salads or desserts. They are slightly acid and less sweet than strawberries due to their high levels of vitamin C, but are delicious when served with some sugar sprinkled on top. I haven’t cooked with redcurrants yet, but given my ultra-sweet tooth, I’m bound to try one of the amazing recipes below!

Best way to store: Refrigerated in a container covered with plastic wrap

Shelf life: 1 to 2 days

Redcurrant recipes found elsewhere:

STRAWBERRIES

strawberries

If I had to pick my favorite fruits, strawberries would be part of the top 5. Strawberries are truly a superfood; they’re high in antioxidants, boast more vitamin C than an orange, and are packed with manganese and potassium among many other goodies. I love eating them raw, including them in smoothies, and using them in cakes. I’ve cooked a lot with strawberries already on the blog and look forward to sharing even more recipes with you now that they’re in season!

Best way to store: In a container covered with plastic wrap and kept in the refrigerator

Shelf life: 2 to 3 days

Strawberry recipes found on Savormania:

red berry fruit salad with passion fruit dressing

Red berry fruit salad with passion fruit dressing

big strawberry jam sandwich cookies

Big strawberry jam sandwich cookies

strawberry mint smoothie

Strawberry mint smoothie

Strawberry recipes found elsewhere:

STRING BEANS

string beans

String beans, also known as green beans, are delicious vegetables that go amazingly well with a wide range of seasonings. Cook them in a thick tomato sauce, dress them up in a mustard-lemon vinaigrette or decorate them with almonds — whatever way you prepare them, they’ll always taste delicious! Make sure to chop off both ends before cooking them though.

String bean recipes found on Savormania:

syrian-string-beans-with-spiced-tomato-sauce

Syrian string beans with spiced tomato sauce

string bean salad with mustard vinaigrette and dill

String bean salad with mustard vinaigrette

String bean recipes found elsewhere:

TOMATOES

roma tomato

If there’s one vegetable you’ll always find in my fridge, it’s got to be tomato. I love that there are so many varieties of tomatoes to choose from, ranging from cherry and beefsteak to roma and heirloom. Besides the fresh vegetable, I always have cans of crushed tomatoes somewhere in my pantry, ready to be used to whip up some of my favorite dishes.

Best way to store: In the kitchen at room temperature until ripe, then in the fridge in a plastic bag

Shelf life: 2 to 3 days once ripe in the fridge

Tomato recipes found on Savormania:

za'atar spiced cod patties in tomato sauce

Za’atar spiced cod patties in tomato sauce

 

homemade tomato sauce

Quick homemade tomato sauce

roasted tomato and basil soup

Roasted tomato soup

Tomato recipes found elsewhere:

WATERCRESS

watercress

Just as nutritious as cabbage and broccoli, watercress is full of vitamins and can be eaten both cooked and raw. Watercress is a leafy aquatic plant which has been ranked as the healthiest vegetable in the world, as it is packed with over 15 vitamins and minerals, beating spinach in iron levels, milk in calcium levels, and oranges in vitamin C levels.

Watercress recipes found on Savormania:

smoked salmon and watercress quiche

Smoked salmon and watercress quiche

Watercress recipes found elsewhere:

ZUCCHINI

Sautéed zucchini with basil and almonds

I cook zucchini year-round, but it’s at its tastiest when it’s back in season during the warm summer months. This summer squash can range from green to yellow and is the perfect vegetable to add to a low-cal diet. It is just as tasty eaten raw as it is eaten cooked, so there are plenty of ways to cook this vegetable.

Best way to store: Refrigerated in a plastic bag

Shelf life: 4 to 5 days

Zucchini recipes found on Savormania:

salty zucchini bread

Savory zucchini bread

zucchini leek soup

Zucchini leek soup

Sautéed zucchini with basil and almonds

Sautéed zucchini with basil and almonds

Zucchini recipes found elsewhere:

Are you looking for recipes with another ingredient that may not be seasonal? Check out my Recipe Index for inspiration.

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