Radishes are crisp and peppy when they’re fresh, but they transform into something much more subtle when they’re cooked. Honey and a splash of lemon juice offer a sweet note that coats the tender radishes, leaving behind a decadent buttery sauce to drizzle over watercress and creamy whipped ricotta cheese.

Baby bok choy is more tender, mild and compact than the grown-up version, which makes it perfect for grilling and catching flavorful sauces between the stalks and leaves. Precooking the bok choy in the microwave prevents the leaves from burning before the stalks are tender. If you don’t want to fire up your grill, a grill pan or hot cast-iron skillet will do the trick.

Nothing beats the combination of fresh summer tomatoes, cucumbers and sweet peppers. You hardly need anything else to bring out their unbeatable flavors, but a salty cheese like Cotija complements the natural sweetness of fresh summer produce perfectly. Paired with a simple cumin vinaigrette, you’ll have a winning summer salad in minutes.

You may not think of zucchini as “sweet,” but it certainly tastes that way in this recipe. Cutting the zucchini into larger chunks and letting it brown deeply in the pan gives it a richer flavor and a nice, firm (but not raw) texture that’s good for zucchinis of all shapes and sizes.

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This savory bread pudding makes use of early summer (and fall) crops like turnips and hardy greens. Young, small turnips are sweet and tender and don’t need to be peeled before you roast them. And don’t forget the greens! Turnip greens have a similar peppery flavor to their roots—as below, so above. Use them as you would kale or chard in soups or sautés or add them to the garlicky greens combo here to bring out the most flavor.

Fresh summer tomatoes can’t be beat. Here they get a sweet lime-honey dressing and a crispy topping of fried shallots to bring out their versatility. Fried shallots are easy to make. Make sure you watch them closely as they cook; the natural sugars that make them so sweet burn easily. Store-bought fried shallots are also a good option if you have them on hand and want to save time.

Late summer offers hardy greens and of course, summer and early fall squash. They come together here in this veggie-packed salad with quinoa and feta cheese. “Massaging” the dressing into the kale helps mellow its bite. Enjoy as a vegetarian main dish or as a side salad for a larger crowd.

Cherry tomatoes, green beans, and farro come together for this easy and delicious grain salad. It's also perfect for yellow wax beans or dragon's tongue beans like in your CSA. Top off this grain salad with smoked paprika flakes (sweet or hot work well).

Allepo pepper makes a good substitute as does powdered paprika. 

This flexible root vegetable gratin works with any combination of root vegetables you have on hand and can be a nice main dish for any vegetarian friends at the table. 

The Cheddar cheese topping adds a crisp crust and helps to thicken the liquid that soaks into the vegetables. Garnish the dish with your favorite fresh herbs for fall.