One of my favorite things about summer is when beets come in season. I know there are some beet haters out there, and if you are in that camp, try fresh local ones -- they are a completely different animal! Beets are in season June through September in Masschusetts, come in a variety of gorgeous colors, and also happen to be super good for you. This week's Eat Seasonal feature offers 8 ways to enjoy beets through the day:

1. Start your day with a nutrient-rich beet smoothie.

2. This yummy beet salad comes via my sister Sharon and it is simply delicious.

3. Want to amp up your protein? Try this roasted beet and lentil salad.

4. This chilled orange beet soup looks so refreshing. I love the addition of egg (very Korean!); and it’s also a great way to use your seasonal cucumbers!

5. I am totally making this beet, arugula, and goat cheese sandwich today. YUM.

6. And maybe I’ll have some beet chips alongside my beet, arugula, and goat cheese sandwich.

7. My mother totally gives me the hairy eyeball whenever I compost produce greens. Here’s a simple recipe for sauteed beet greens.

8. Time to break out the ice cream maker for this 5-ingredient beet sorbet.

Image credits: strawberries via FreeDigitalPhotos.net; all others via linked sites above

We eat strawberries year round, but I'm always thrilled when strawberries come in season; the vibrant, juicy locally grown options are a totally different animal! This week's Eat Seasonal feature on strawberries comes just in time for upcoming strawberry festivals (keep an eye on upcoming Weekend Roundups!), though in Massachusetts, strawberries are in season both in June and also August to mid-October. Here are 8 easy ways you can enjoy them:

1. I love the fresh twist of this strawberry mango salsa.

2. Strawberry ricotta bruschetta makes for a lovely summer app.

3. Five-ingredient strawberry red wine glazed salmon = major dinner win.

4. I made this strawberry cake roll for Jon’s birthday this week -- it's one of our favorite cake recipes!

5. OMG this strawberry pie.

6. I can't wait to try these cantaloupe and strawberry popsicles.

7. Freeze your strawberries first to make this 5-minute strawberry frozen yogurt.

8. If you have a windfall of strawberries, preserve some to cheer you up in the winter via this easy strawberry freezer jam.

Image credits: strawberries via FreeDigitalPhotos.net; all others via linked sites above

During my postdoctoral fellowship, I earned the nickname Kohcumber because I snacked on cucumbers every single day at the lab. For some reason, I fell out of that (excellent) habit, but this week's Eat Seasonal feature on cucumbers is inspiring me to load up my next grocery cart with cukes! Cucumbers are in season in Massachusetts from June through August; here are 9 (actually, 10) great ways you can enjoy them:

1. Cucumber tomato bites = easy yet beautiful appetizer.

2. Korean cucumber salad is always on my mom's dining table!

3. This cucumber watermelon salad looks so refreshing and I love that it includes feta and walnut for salt/crunch contrast.

4. If you're looking for a show stopper, these beetroot and tuna cucumber rolls are gorgeous. The recipe is a little more involved, but I'd cut prep time down by using canned beets, chopped.

5. I love one pot (or one blender) recipes like this chilled cucumber avocado soup.

6. Tzatziki = refreshing condiment that's loaded with protein. Great as a veggie dip or as a condiment for your grilled fare!

7. You only need 4 ingredients for this cucumber basil sorbet. (Perfect excuse to bust out my ice cream maker!)

8. And you only need 3 ingredients for this cucumber lime margarita.

9. I want these 10-minute refrigerator pickles for my next burger.

10. And as an added bonus, if you get tired of eating cucumbers, try one of these 3 DIY cucumber facial masks.

Image credits: cucumber pile via FreeDigitalPhotos.net; all others via linked sites above

After poring over this seasonal produce grid for the best way to order fruit and vegetable features, it's sort of awesome that it worked out to kick off the Eat Seasonal series with scallions. Also known as spring onions, this vegetable is a permanent fixture in my mom's kitchen. I can almost hear her chopping them as I type this! Scallions are in season in Massachusetts from May to September; stock up and try and or all of these six recipes:

1. This scallion pancake recipe takes mere minutes to prep and is a huge hit every single time I make it.

2. The 12-ingredient marinade for these scallion skewers is a little more involved than I would normally prep for a quick family dinner, but you could gain economy of scale by multiplying the batch and storing in your fridge (all ingredients are long pantry shelf life items).

3. This recipe for grilled cubanelles, tomatoes, and scallions is a done deal in 15 minutes. WIN.

4. If you like baking, these scallion and cheddar popovers are a simple, savory option.

5. I’m always on the hunt for good vegetarian recipes for Laurel; this mushroom and scallion frittata offers a good protein hit while using lots of scallions.

6. This 3-ingredient scallion ginger sauce can be your go-to condiment on top of, well, anything apparently.

Image credits: scallion thumbnail via FreeDigitalPhotos.net; all other images via linked websites

After recently sharing about 5 ways to eat local on a budget, I started thinking a lot about tip #2: shopping seasonally. And it inspired me to start a new editorial series! Via Eat Seasonal I’ll share roundups of simple recipes to help you figure out what to do with seasonal produce. I know that every year that we’ve signed up for CSAs, I’ve scoured around for just this sort of thing -- I hope you love the series!

Also, if you’re a food writer, please feel free to submit your recipe links for potential inclusion in a feature! I'd love to hear from you!

Image credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net