By BeeWench Farm

With fall around the corner, it’s time to get your favorite summer fruits and veggies before they are gone. Now is also a great time to get some tasty and healthy snacks to pack for you and your kids’ lunches. Most of our farmers offer taste tests of their produce, so bring the kids to the market and have them pick out their favorites. Personally, my kids are more likely to eat what is in their lunch box if they helped pick it out, so they love coming to the market.

If you are looking for more in-season produce, here is what to look for:

Fruits:

  • Strawberries
  • Blackberries
  • Raspberries
  • Peaches
  • Nectarines
  • Plums
  • Figs
  • Melons
  • Grapes
  • Apples
  • Pears

Vegetables:

  • Sweet Onions
  • Green Beans
  • Cucumbers
  • Summer Squash
  • Corn
  • Bell Peppers
  • Tomatoes
  • Eggplant
  • Hot Peppers
  • Artichokes
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Parsnips

We all love the summer fruit, but the veggies available now are so flavorful. I love just mixing up a bunch and tossing them in the skillet with my favorite seasonings and local olive oil. I usually cook up some sausage in the skillet first and that makes the veggies even tastier after they have cooked in a little bit of juices from those. We have great local butchers and Ben’s Meats always has a variety of delicious flavors of sausages to choose from at the Templeton Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning. 

The best sweet onions I have ever had were grown by Becky at Jack Creek Farms. If you love to add onions to your skillets and meals, you must stop by and check out the farm off 46 West. We got a bunch from them last year and I still have some because I chopped them and froze them to use throughout the year. Not only do they grow some of the best produce, but they have a great area to keep the kids entertained and an amazing pumpkin patch in October. 

This veggie and sausage skillet dinner makes an easy and delicious weeknight dinner. I can easily add some of the sausage to mac & cheese for the kids and mix the rest in with the veggies for the veggie lovers. I usually just eat the sausage and veggies, but they are also great served over some rice, noodles, with potatoes, or with some fresh sourdough bread. 

Summer Veggie and Sausage Skillet Dinner

Ingredients: 

  • 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil (pick a favorite from the Groves on 41 samples)
  • 4 sausages. Cook and then slice into 1/4” circles
  • 2 medium zucchinis, cubed
  • 1 onion, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (close to same size as zucchini)
  • 1 bell pepper, any color, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (close to same size as zucchini)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp dried basil
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic, minced
  • Cherry tomatoes (optional)
  • Fresh basil (optional)
  • Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add sliced sausage. Sauté, flipping sausage frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes or until sausage have some browning. Remove from pan, let cool, and slice into smaller rounds.
  2. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil to skillet with the zucchini, onion, bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes (optional). Sprinkle with salt, oregano, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper. Stir. Let cook until the onion is translucent and peppers and zucchini are close to tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. If adding in the cherry tomatoes, I like to cook them until they burst a little and get that roasted flavor. I’m the only one in my family that likes tomatoes, so I usually just add them in to my own dish at the end. 
  3. Add sausage back to the skillet along with minced garlic. Stir. Cover so everything heats through for 1 to 2 minutes. Taste. Add extra salt if desired. Garnish with chopped fresh basil and parmesan cheese (optional).

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