A summer garden eventually hands you more than you can eat fresh. These five no-fuss recipes turn a glut into dinner — and they're forgiving enough to adapt to whatever's ripe.
1. No-cook tomato sauce
Pile chopped ripe tomatoes in a bowl with olive oil, smashed garlic, torn basil, salt, and a splash of vinegar. Let it sit 30 minutes. Toss with hot pasta. The raw flavor is the whole point — only make it with the best tomatoes you grew.
2. Zucchini fritters
Grate 2 medium zucchini, salt, and squeeze out the water. Mix with one egg, a handful of parmesan, and flour to bind. Pan-fry in olive oil until crisp. Salt immediately. Hidden in these is a remarkable amount of squash.
3. Herbal chimichurri
Blend parsley, oregano, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and red pepper flakes. Spoon over grilled veg, eggs, or beans — it keeps a week in the fridge and rescues any flavorless harvest.
4. Sheet-pan ratatouille
Cube eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onions, and tomatoes. Toss with olive oil, garlic, thyme, and salt. Roast at 425°F for 35 minutes, stirring once. Eat warm or cold; even better the next day.
5. Pesto, but unconventional
Basil is classic, but try parsley-and-walnut, carrot-top, or arugula-and-almond. Any tender green + garlic + nuts + oil + hard cheese works. Freeze extras in ice cube trays for a hit of summer in February.
Cooking with what you grew
The test of a good garden isn't how much it yields — it's how much you actually cook from it. Grow what you love to eat, and a Sunday-evening harvest turns into dinner without a recipe.