June is the perfect time of the year for grilled summer vegetables. Summer harvest is just beginning for us. Plenty of vegetables begin to come into the season during the early summer. We are picking asparagus, beets, mushrooms, turnips, and kale on the eastern shore of Maryland. Our farmers bring corn, tomatoes, summer squash, peppers, green beans, and corn to the market. Whole Foods defines “local vegetables” as those that arrive in the market in less than 10 hours of drive-time.
In Maryland, we get our early summer vegetables from the deep south.
Local vegetables contain vitamins and minerals you might not get from store-bought produce imported from far-away factory farms. Organic food is also more natural to come by if you shop locally. Farmer’s stands are a great place to find organic produce. You can even grow your vegetables at home if you have space! Check out this excellent blog post for a complete list of what is currently in season in Maryland.
Our Grilled Summer Vegetables with Honey Balsamic Dressing recipe is a great way to use your harvest! Grilled vegetables are healthy and delicious and very quick to make. Mix an oil-based seasoning to toss the vegetables in, and lay on the grill for a few minutes to cook. Except for denser vegetables like sweet potatoes and beets, most veggies don’t need much time on the grill to heat through and develop a sweet, smoky flavor. Using our Eastern Shore Honey in the dressing will enhance the flavor of many vegetables, drawing out the sweetness under the savory tones.
Adapting our Grilled Summer Vegetables
- Feel free to use your favorite local vegetables-eggplant and sweet corn would work well.
- Try mixing honey into the oil that you toss the veggies with.
- Make a complete meal by grilling chicken or fish with vegetables.
Grilled Summer Vegetables with Honey Balsamic Dressing
Ingredients
VEGGIES
- 3 bell peppers sliced into segments, remove stem and seeds
- 2 summer squash cut into chunks
- 2 zucchini cut into chunks
- 1/2 lb green beans
- 1/2 lb mushrooms cut in half
- 1 red onion cut into chunks
DRESSING
- 1/4 c olive oil plus 2 tbsp.
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp. chopped herbs
- 1 tbsp. Waxing Kara Honey
- 1 dash salt
- 1 dash pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. If using charcoal, cook over hot coals.
- Rinse and pat dry the vegetables.
- Blend together 1/4 cup olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Toss vegetables in above mixture to coat.
- Grill the vegetables in batches- beans and peppers for 10 minutes, squash, zucchini and mushrooms for 7 minutes, and the onion for 5 minutes.
- When vegetables are done, remove from heat.
- Blend together remaining olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Eastern Shore Honey, and chopped herbs and drizzle mixture over vegetables.
- Serve warm.