Gardening: 7 Recipes to Make Straight From Your Garden

The summer garden is bursting with fresh flavors that often inspire the best meals. If you love gardening, try these great recipes with your harvest.

1. Arugula pesto — Basil pesto is a classic condiment, but try this recipe from Midwest Living and substitute peppery arugula for the basil. Pesto is wonderful as a spread on pizzas, stirred into soups, or as a sandwich spread. It is also perfect for freezing in small portions to enjoy all year round.

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2. Summer Garden Pasta — Nothing beats fresh garden tomatoes picked at the peak of flavor. When you have the best quality ingredients, simple recipes like this one from Food Network’s Ina Garten are surprisingly delicious.

3. Cucumber Avocado Salad — If you grow cucumbers in your garden, you know how productive those vining plants can be, sometimes producing cucumbers faster than you can decide what to make with them. This salad from Smitten Kitchen combines the fresh flavor of garden cucumbers with the richness of avocado.

4. Eggplant Rolls with Spicy Tomato Sauce — This recipe from Epicurious, which first appeared in Gourmet magazine, highlights the earthy flavor of garden eggplant combined with creamy ricotta cheese. This dish can be served as an appetizer or a light entrée.

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5. Fresh Tomato Basil Soup — If your tomato plants are extra productive, try making this fresh tomato soup from Tomato Envy. This flavorful soup freezes beautifully, so you can enjoy it right away or months later, in the dead of winter when you crave the flavor of summer tomatoes.

6. Roasted Red Pepper Salad with Anchovy and White Beans — The flavor of flame-roasted sweet bell peppers takes center stage in this light salad from Martha Stewart. The white beans add fiber and make the salad substantial enough for an entrée.

7. Green Bean Salad with Feta and Walnuts — This colorful, Mediterranean-inspired salad from Vegetarian Times showcases fresh garden green beans accented by salty feta cheese and rich walnuts.

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Brande Plotnick is an ambitious home cook, gardener, beekeeper, writer, and speaker who started her website, Tomato Envy, to inspire others to find their deliberately decadent life at home. Brande’s down-to-earth style and approachable manner have been winning over the readers who follow her blog. Her work has been featured in Urban Farm Magazine, Natural Awakenings, Mother Earth News, and the Whole Seed Catalog.

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