There is nothing more inspiring to an Italian cook than wandering through a summer market overflowing with the season’s freshest produce. Italian cuisine depends on high-quality, fresh ingredients, so a local market or vegetable stand—where produce has often been picked that same day—is the ideal place to shop.
While I lived in Italy, I spent hours each week strolling among stalls brimming with the vivid colors and fragrances of the season. Here in North America, many of us lack easy access to expansive outdoor markets and must rely on the best local grocery stores until summer arrives and local growers fill the stands with seasonal bounty.
Recently, walking through downtown Toronto feels almost like moving through an endless string of markets and specialty food shops, each packed with locally grown produce. I find it hard to resist stopping to browse the bright piles of fruits and vegetables—so ripe and vibrant that choosing between them becomes a joyful dilemma.
I smell and gently squeeze the tomatoes, admire the glossy skins of bell peppers, and linger over the many varieties of eggplant. Lately I come home with another bag of vegetables nearly every day, which led my husband to tease me yesterday: “What are you going to do with all those vegetables? You bought zucchini AGAIN?”
My answer was the usual: “Don’t worry, I have it all planned.” Then I sneak into my office to flip through cookbooks and recipe files in search of a new way to use zucchini for the third time that week. This time I made a simple, delicious Summer Squash Sauté that we both enjoyed—and suddenly my zucchini habit felt entirely justified. See my recipe for Summer Squash Sauté.
On Saturday mornings I’m fortunate to stroll through St. Lawrence Market here in Toronto, an experience that often takes me back to my market days in Italy. In Italy, many people shop the market daily, letting the best-looking ingredients guide what they prepare that day. They may arrive with a few meal ideas based on the season, but the final decision usually waits until they see what looks freshest and most appealing.
It might be a basket of ripe, red tomatoes whose earthy aroma announces their freshness, or a bundle of baby zucchini with flowers still attached and morning dew glistening on their skin. Such discoveries often determine the menu for the evening—sometimes the choice is something they hadn’t planned for, but couldn’t resist taking home.
Every town and village in Italy has outdoor market days, rotating through nearby areas so residents can shop local. In addition to seasonal produce, markets commonly offer freshly caught seafood, a variety of cheeses and cured meats, freshly baked breads and pastries, herbs and seasonings, and many other items central to Italian cooking. On market days the streets bustle with people carrying their purchases home, eager to cook a fresh meal for family and friends.
Vegetables are central to the Italian diet, a legacy of times when meat was scarce and the home garden provided the bulk of the household’s food. Where some cuisines treat vegetables as a side note, in Italy they often take center stage.
Italians have refined vegetable cooking into dishes that are imaginative and full of flavor. During summer we have an abundance of options: tender purple eggplants, crisp green beans, numerous varieties of summer squash, and an almost endless selection of salad greens. When selecting produce, choose items with firm skins, bright color, and a fresh aroma. Avoid vegetables that look limp, dull, or show spots and discoloration.
This summer, visit your local farmers’ market or drive out to a countryside produce stand. Browse fresh ingredients and then explore my Vegetable Recipe Collection for ideas—you may find the market’s bounty inspiring new meals for your table.
Deborah Mele