There are so many delicious veggies to try out in sweet summertime recipes... especially in the UK! Check out our top favourites now.

When trying to find ways to reduce your carbon footprint, it can be hard to know where to start. More often than not, the amount of information available to us is just overwhelming. 

You will be pleased to hear that it doesn’t need to be so hard. Simply making small changes to your daily habits can really minimise your impact on the environment. For example, eating seasonal vegetables and trying to use mostly low carbon ingredients in your cooking can greatly reduce your carbon footprint.

Research has shown that if the Western diet was adjusted to be more sustainable, we may be able to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80%, and water use by up to 50%! These numbers represent a best-case scenario, but hint at just how much of an impact the food we eat has on our environment.

There's lots of ways to change our diet to be more sustainable, from adopting a flexitarian diet, to reducing the amount of food waste we produce. But another big, big one is eating with the seasons. So if you’re interested in using more seasonal vegetables in your cooking to reduce your carbon footprint, read on to find out more.

There are all sorts of delicious seasonal vegetables available to us in the UK during Summer, and all sorts of things we can cook with them! So I’ve gathered together some of my favourite eco-friendly recipes that all use in-season vegetables.

What vegetables are in season during Summer?

Westerners in general are known for our simple, no-nonsense cooking - lots of potatoes, carrots, parsnips… often thrown into an amazing stew or casserole! But you can also be a lot more creative with our amazing seasonal produce; we grow so much more here in the UK than just root vegetables (imagine that)! 

Did you know that a whopping 69% of the country’s land area is used for agriculture? There’s a lot to be found on British or US soil.

Here’s a quick overview of vegetables that are ready to eat in the country during summer:

JUNE

Vegetables to harvest or buy

• Baby carrots
• Broad beans
• Chard
• Courgettes and summer squash 
• Currants
• Gooseberries
• Lettuce
• Parsley
• Radish 
• Rocket
• Spinach
• Spring cabbage
• Spring onions
• Strawberries

Vegetables to sow and plant

• Courgettes
• Cucumbers
• French beans
• Lettuce

JULY 

Vegetables to harvest or buy

• Beetroot
• Blueberries
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cherries
• Courgettes and summer squash
• Cucumbers
• Currants
• Fennel
• French beans
• Gooseberries
• Lettuce and other salad leaves
• Loganberries
• New potatoes
• Peas and mangetout
• Radish
• Raspberries
• Runner beans
• Spinach
• Spring onions
• Shallots
• Tayberries
• Tomatoes

Vegetables to sow or plant outside

• Fennel
• Kohl Rabi
• Pak choi
• Parsley
• Rocket

AUGUST 

Vegetables to harvest and buy

• Aubergines
• Beetroot
• Blackberries
• Bluberries
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Carrots
• Celery
• Chard
• Courgettes and summer squash
• Cucumbers
• Fennel
• French beans
• Lettuce and other salad leaves
• Peas and mangetout
• Peppers and chilies
• Plums
• Potatoes
• Raspberries
• Runner beans
• Spring onions
• Sweetcorn
• Tomatoes

Vegetables to sow or plant outside

• Lettuce
• Pak choi
• Parsley
• Rocket
• Spinach

Want to measure, understand and reduce your carbon footprint? Try Pawprint

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Summertime recipes using seasonal vegetables

As you can see, there are all sorts of British crops that are perfect for harvesting throughout spring! And once you’ve chosen some incredible, seasonal, low carbon ingredients to cook with - it’s time to get in the kitchen!

Here are some of my favourite recipes using ingredients that are in season in spring. Most are meatless, and all focus on low carbon ingredients, so you can be sure that you’re not only eating delicious food, but you’re also eating the best food for our planet. So without further ado here they are...
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1 - Try this cherry tomato gazpacho recipe from renown London chef, Tom Aitkens.

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2 - Have a go at a scrumptious, delicious eton mess!

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3 - Torn between a greek salad and cheesy nachos? We have the perfect recipe here for you from Tesco. It’s a tasty greek salad nachos recipe. Genius.
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4 - A Jamie Oliver classic: a warm rainbow veg salad recipe. Yummo! (Plus who doesn’t like a Jamie Oliver special?).

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5 - Meatballs? Don’t know her. Try out this courgette pasta with spinach balls.

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6 - In case you haven’t noticed, summertime is great to get all your courgettes in! This recipe is tasty but also hits the spot. Try the courgette, feta, and blackcurrant salad recipe.

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7 - This next recipe may be a personal favourite only because burrata may be the best thing this world has ever seen! Have a go at this grilled peaches with burrata, basil, and courgette shavings salad.

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8 - Love a tart as much as we do? Here’s a recipe for a summer stilton tart with asparagus.

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9 - This recipe is a team favourite, grilled tofu with peanut sauce made with in-season veg. Try it!

So there you have it - nine delicious seasonal recipes to help you enjoy during summer, and really any other time! 

For more information on how to adapt your diet to help the environment, check out our top tips for eating your way to a lower carbon footprint, how meat lovers can still do their bit for the planet, and some more tasty lunch recipes for worker bees on the go go go! 

 Or why not give Pawprint a try, and start measuring and reducing your impact today.

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