Isn’t the summer the best time to make farm fresh recipes? When I first moved to Jacksonville, Florida straight out of college in 1998 I thought the only food I would love from the Sunshine State was oranges! Ha! After 18 years of still living here in Florida I relish in the splendor of how many delicious fruits and vegetables are naturally grown here. One of the delights of our backyard is seeing the grapefruit tree produce yummy fruit each season. I’m excited to pair with Fresh From Florida and Florida Department of Agriculture to highlight their seasonally grown foods that are perfect for creating recipes with this summer.

Farm Fresh: Why I Love Making Recipes Using #FreshFromFlorida Foods

Summer recipes beg for fresh fruit, vegetables and seafood:

Now that the days are longer and school is out it’s the perfect time to entertain, bbq, and gather friends and family around delicious meals. From cool drinks and cocktails made with fresh fruit to tasty entrée meals made from Fresh Florida seafood, there is no limit to the cooking options.

Take a look at these Florida foods that are in season:

• Watermelon
• Blueberries
• Tomato
• Sweet Corn
• Seafood

What are you making this weekend? This Florida Corn Tomato and Avocado Salsa looks light and delicious for our 90 degree Florida weekends.

Image via: Florida Department of Agriculture

Florida fruits and vegetables taste like they’re from the farmers market:

The best part about using fresh Florida ingredients is the ability to bring fresh farmers market taste straight to your table. Living in Florida we know that our climate produces the perfect environment for fresh foods that many other states have to ship to their stores. My recipes taste better and I believe fresh fruit and fresh vegetables are better for you when they are fresher.

Looking for a sweet dessert to serve for the summer patriotic holidays? This Florida Blueberry Parfait looks delish!

Image via: Florida Department of Agriculture

What type of farm fresh recipes do you love making in the summer?

The Fresh From Florida website has wonderful information about what foods are perfect to eat and cook with this season as well as cooking recipes to give you ideas for your summer entertaining.

I can’t wait to get started on some of these yummy recipes.. I think the watermelon recipes are going to be my first creation. Let me know what you’re going to try!

For more summer recipe ideas on Stagetecture, try this blueberry recipe!