What's good to eat this month? - June
What’s good to eat this month? – June
The list of fresh fruit and veg grows ever longer as we come into June, with crops of all shapes and sizes providing endless scope for delicious and inventive June meal plans. Taking advantage of what’s good to eat this month means buying fresh, local produce – and, with its much lower air miles, that’s great for the environment as well as tasting better! Keep reading for some tasty ideas for using up fresh ingredients in June.
Fruit and veg to enjoy in June
Referring, as always, to the handy Vegetarian Society guide, the fruit and veg at their best in June are:
Asparagus, Aubergine, Beetroot, Blackcurrants, Broad Beans, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cherries, Chicory, Chillies, Courgettes, Cucumber, Elderflowers, Gooseberries, Lettuce, Marrow, New Potatoes, Peas, Peppers, Radishes, Raspberries, Redcurrants, Rhubarb, Rocket, Runner Beans, Samphire, Sorrel, Spring Greens, Spring Onions, Strawberries, Summer Squash, Sweetheart Cabbage, Swiss Chard, Tayberries, Turnips, Watercress
You’ll find lots of ideas for using up some of our favourite fruit and veg from this list below, and you can get even more inspiration from our previous monthly guides:
- What’s good to eat in January for celery, chicory, savoy cabbage and turnips
- What’s good to eat in February for carrots, leeks, mushrooms and cabbage
- What’s good to eat in March for beetroot, spring onions, spring greens and rhubarb
- What’s good to eat in April new potatoes, kale, radishes, rocket and spinach
- What’s good to eat in May for asparagus, aubergine and peas
- What’s good to eat in July for blackberries, blueberries, French beans, raspberries and tomatoes
- What’s good to eat in August for lettuce, pears, plums and sweetcorn
- What’s good to eat in September for cauliflower, pears and watercress
- What’s good to eat in October for apples, winter squash, swede and pumpkin
- What’s good to eat in November for celeriac, onions and quince
- What’s good to eat in December for brussel sprouts, chestnuts, cranberries and parsnips
Broad beans
Broad beans make a tasty side dish for Sunday roasts, particularly when boiled and served with lashings of delicious white sauce or butter. Just like peas, they’re also good for adding to anything that requires leftover veg, such as soups, risottos, pasta dishes and stews.
Broccoli
Boil it, steam it, roast it – there are so many ways to enjoy broccoli as a side dish for any meal you care to mention. But it’s more than just a side. It’s also a great way to add flavour and nutrition to recipes.
Cherries
It’s time to start enjoying summer fruits, and cherries are one we’re looking forward to this month. As well as being tasty snacks on their own, they’re also a delicious addition to your baking (think cherry bakewells and cherry and almond cake) and desserts. If you have more cherries than you can use, you could even make your own glace cherries and keep them in the fridge ready to put in your Christmas cake later in the year!
Courgettes
From frittatas to stir-fries, courgettes are a versatile vegetable that you can enjoy in any recipes that call for whatever fresh veg you need to use up. They make delicious and nutritious pasta sauce, too, such as Cristina’s tomato and courgette sauce. You can even bake with courgette! A sweet courgette cake is a delightful teatime treat, or you can go savoury with our courgette and sweet potato loaf, which is also a great way to use up eggs.
Cucumber
There’s nothing more refreshing than a summer salad with cool, crunchy cucumber, so we’ll be glad to have it in our fridge this month! It’s also great for making cucumber raita to go with Indian dishes or tzatziki to go with Greek favourites (think souvlaki on the barbecue). Use up any remaining cucumber in our mini falafel with yoghurt and cucumber dip.
Strawberries
Finally, it’s the ultimate summer treat – strawberries are here, just in time for Wimbledon fortnight! Whether you’re chopping them up to go in a refreshing glass of Pimm’s (don’t forget the cucumber, too!), mixing them into decadent Eton mess or enjoying them on their own with a little cream, we’re pretty sure you won’t have any problem using up the strawberries in your fridge!
For more June meal plan ideas, type in your leftover ingredients into our recipe bank, and stay tuned for more inspiration next month, when we’ll be looking at what’s good to eat in July!
