The tomato plants are bending under the weight of ripe tomatoes, the peach trees are laden, the raspberry and blueberry bushes smell sweet from their fruit, and August is finally here. One of the most abundant months, nearly everything is in season in August.
Fruits such as apples, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, currants, grapes, ground cherries, nectarines, peaches, early pears, plums, prunes, raspberries, and some early watermelons.
Vegetables include: beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, chili peppers (and other hot peppers), corn, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, green beans, green onions, leeks, lettuce, lima beans, mushrooms, okra, onions, peppers, potatoes, radishes, rutabaga, shallots, snap peas, snow peas, sweet potatoes, tomatillos, tomatoes, turnips, winter squash, and zucchini.
Beyond leafy greens, fresh herbs are in season and ready for bringing flavor to any dish. Available herbs include basil, cilantro, lavender, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon, and thyme.
With all of these ingredients, it may be hard to know where to begin. For a plucked-from-the-garden taste, consider the Southern Tomato Sandwich (a sandwich featuring a fresh heirloom tomato, mayonnaise, and some salt and pepper), recently profiled by the New York Times.
You may instead want to try a strawberry-rosemary soda, made with fresh muddled strawberries and a rosemary simple syrup — it’ll cool you right off. If you’re interested in something a bit boozier, try a blackberry French 75 or a lavender French 75 — or go your own way and make a blackberry-lavender French 75. The herbal notes of lavender are complemented by the tart blackberries, both of which round out the sweet prosecco that tops this gin drink.
Or, get experimental with all the available peppers, tomatoes, onions, tomatillos, and hot peppers. Make a salsa or a pico de gallo to go on some fresh tortilla chips. Turn this into a Mexican happy hour with a watermelon margarita!
For a summery finish, the Chateau Renaissance Winery, which comes to the Union Square Greenmarket, offers a variety of fresh fruit wines including strawberry wine, blackberry wine, red plum wine, and more.
As always, meat, dairy, fish, honey, and bread are available year-round at greenmarkets.
To find a greenmarket near you in Brooklyn, go to GrowNYC.com or JustFood.com.
