Summer is peak time at the farmers market, and there is no shortage of fresh, flavorful fruits and vegetables to enjoy. Nancy Waldeck, a chef at Thomas F. Chapman Family Cancer Wellness at Piedmont, shares her favorite summer produce, cooking tips and recipes.

“Kicking off summer, I look for Vidalia onions to roll into the market,” Waldeck says. “Southerners like my family, no matter where we lived, looked for sweet onions. We would store them carefully in a cool dark place. As summer progresses, I can’t wait for the squash, eggplant and then tomatoes and corn. ‘P’ produce is big in the summer as well. Peas, peppers, pecans, and even potatoes all make beautiful additions to fresh summer salads.”

What’s in season this summer?

In the summer, seek out:

• Avocadoes

• Beets

• Berries

• Cantaloupe

• Corn

• Cucumbers

• Eggplant

• Figs

• Fresh herbs

• Green beans

• Okra

• Peas

• Pecans

• Potatoes

• Salad green, including arugula and spinach

• Stone fruits, like peaches, plums and nectarines

• Summer squash and zucchini

• Sweet peppers  

• Watermelon

How to use summer vegetables

“I don’t want to spend lots of time in the kitchen in summer, so salads are perfect as a main meal or as a side for something yummy off the grill,” Waldeck says. “I often load up veggies on the side of a beautiful piece of fish and place it all on top of a crunchy salad full of shredded romaine and Napa cabbage. All it needs is a drizzle of simple vinaigrette to make a cool and fun summer meal.”

Another light summer dinner favorite of Waldeck’s is Vidalia onion dip. She suggests loading up a tray with fresh raw veggies – like radishes, grape tomatoes, carrot, celery and fennel sticks – and crackers, and enjoying Vidalia onion dip as a light dinner.

She also loves fresh corn in the summer. Try her signature corn cakes with shrimp and jalapeno-lime drizzle.

Summer recipes are tied to memories

For many of us, summer recipes spark memories.

“When I was growing up, my family moved constantly – my dad was in the Air Force – and I attended 13 different schools from grade school to high school,” she says. “One constant through all the tumult of moving was my mother’s love of cooking and her desire to teach me all her secrets. Her roots were Southern, and one of her favorite ingredients was Vidalia onions. I knew summer was around the corner when this Vidalia onion dip appeared at our table.”

Check out additional healthy summer recipes to use your bounty of produce.

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