As summer draws up to its final height, I feel drunk on vegetables. I gathered a bowlful of tomatoes from the garden yesterday — scarlet, green-striped, fuzzy and gold. Late lettuces wait cool and crisp in the fridge. I have handfuls of tiny white and violet eggplant, and ears of corn from a local farm. What to eat first? Buttered sweet corn? Eggplant crisp and melting from the grill? Tomato salad drenched in its own juices?

If you have a similar dilemma, then take a look at these recipes, chosen with some difficulty from the dozens of glorious vegetable dishes in our archives. There's grilled guacamole, smoky and salty. There are lentils with a heap of rich broiled eggplant, and a gratin of potatoes and goat cheese. There's an old-fashioned yet fresh ratatouille, and caramelized corn with tomatoes and bacon.

The vegetables of late summer can feel like pure gift, bursting with color and with flavor. Don't waste the opportunity; whether you cook it, slice it in a salad, or eat it raw like the sweet piece of fruit it is — I don't care — just have yourself a tomato tonight.

TOP ROW
• 1 Caramelized Corn with Tomatoes and Bacon
• 2 Lentils With Broiled Eggplant
• 3 Dad's Authentic Ratatouille
• 4 Super Easy and Delicious Zucchini Butter
• 5 Grilled Guacamole

MIDDLE ROW
• 6 Grilled Eggplant Topped with Goat Cheese and Tomato
• 7 Braised Eggplant and Tomatoes
• 8 Panzanella With Roasted Squash and Tomatoes
• 9 Summer Squash with Baked Eggs
• 10 Potato, Squash, and Goat Cheese Gratin

BOTTOM ROW
• 11 Potatoes, Green Beans, and Corn in Lemon Brown Butter Sauce
• 12 Cherry Tomato Bites
• 13 Corn and Zucchini Salad with Chives
• 14 Squash Ribbons
• 15 Slow Roasted Tomatoes with Pomegranate Molasses and Basil

What sort of vegetables are you eating right now? Are you taking advantage of all of summer's good things?

(Images: See linked recipes for full image credits)

You might also like