Written by Rebekah Bowen

Ever wish you could grow your own vegetables and then cook with them? Well now you can! First you want to identify which veggies you really love and that will grow all year round. Some of my favorites are cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers.

Cucumbers are fertile producers and can be eaten straight from the vine, pickling, or tossing in salads. They also come in many different varieties; Persian, lemon, and cucamelons are all variations you can grow and are delicious. All you need is rich soil in full sun and water regularly.

A quick and easy recipe that I like to make is a cold beef tenderloin with cucumbers and tomatoes. This is paired nicely with watermelon and a glass of white or red wine.

Cold beef tenderloin with cucumbers and tomatoes

Ingredients

¼ cup extra-vigin olive oil, plus more
1 3 1/2 -4 lb. beef tenderloin
3 tbsp. whole black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
2 tbsp. kosher salt
3lb. heirloom tomatoes (6-8), sliced into ¼”-thick rounds
6 mini seedless or Persian cucmbers, sliced into ¼”-thick rounds
1 cup basil leaves
sheery vinegar or red wine vinegar (for serving)
flaky sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
lemony yogurt sauce and/or grilled serrano salsa verde (for serving)

Tomatoes generally need a long growing season with plenty of heat and full sun, at least 6 to 8 hours a day. Some patio and bush tomatoes though have shorter growing seasons. As a rule, its best to plant tomatoes as soon as the weather gets warm. They thrive with basil and chives as companion plant.

There are so many yummy recipes and things you can make with tomatoes but one of my quick favorites is the Tomatoes with Fig and Prosciutto salad.

Tomatoes with Fig and prosciutto

Ingredients

¼ cup sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
16 figs, torn
1lb. small or medium heriloom tomatoes, halved crosswise or sliced into ¼”- ½”-thick rounds
½ cup mint leaves, torn if large
kosher salt
2 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto

Peppers are another companion plant to tomatoes and grow well side by side. They prefer a full sun, rich soil, and consistent deep watering. To keep them well watered you can add a bubble. You can grow a variety of patio varieties such as sweet or hot peppers and they go great with pizzas or salads or salsas.

For me, I love Spanish cuisines, so a good salsa is always a go- to in my household. There are many simple salsas you can make.