Perfect Summer Pairings

Summer farmers markets are known for providing an abundance of local, beautiful and fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, herbs and more. When you make those market finds shine by pairing them with familiar grains found in your pantry, your palate wins in flavor and texture, plus your body gets what it needs to support your summer adventures!

Fresh Ingredients + Pantry Staples = A Perfect Pairing

Try these winning combinations for celebrating delicious market finds.

Grain Bowls

There is no better time of year to make grain bowls! Rice, quinoa, barley or any other grain hanging out in your pantry is the perfect delivery vehicle for a fresh, delicious and nutritious bowl of farmers market veggies and meats. 

Pasta Salads

Is it really a summer BBQ if there’s no pasta salad? Orzo is a handy pantry staple, particularly so during the summer months when we cannot get enough of our favorite pasta salad that pairs market tomatoes, feta cheese and avocados.

Salads to Sandwiches

Caprese is not the only option when it comes to turning your favorite salad into a sandwich. With the abundance of fresh flavors found at the farmers market, it’s easier than ever to make a sandwich out of yummy Caesar salad or our current favorite, a chickpea salad sandwich. 

Seasonal Market Finds + Whole Grains = Perfect Summer Fuel

The fact that summer brings a combination of warmer weather, more time outside and an abundance of fresh foods is no accident. As the seasons change, so too, do our nutritional needs. Learn about why grain foods in all of their forms play an important role in helping us fuel for summer’s adventures.

Summertime Refuel

Summer heat always means hydration, but it’s not as simple as drinking more water. Other key nutrients, including some found in grain foods, also contribute to helping enable our bodies to take part in all the summer fun. So, if you’re craving fresh fruits, dairy, vegetables, beans, nuts or whole grains (among others) after a day in the sun, listen to your body: it’s telling you what it needs.

Fortification is Not the “F” Word

Historically, fortification has proven again and again to play an important role in disease prevention. For example, adding vitamin D to milk all but erased Rickets as a disease in this country. More recently, grains enriched with folic acid were responsible for lowering the rate of neural tube birth defects by approximately one-third in the U.S., and this fortification of enriched grains was named as one of the top 10 public health achievements of the last decade.

Overcoming Nutrition Shortfalls

No matter what time of year, all grain foods contribute to overall diet quality by providing key essential nutrients. Grains play an important role in providing some of the noted shortfall nutrients in the American diet, and also act as a taste vehicle for helping Americans eat more of the foods that contain the remaining shortfall nutrients. That’s yet another reason why it’s so important to remember that it’s the combination of foods we eat, and not a single food, that produces a healthy body.

Hungry for more ideas?

There’s nothing quite like biting into a perfect sandwich, wrap or burger any time of the year. But summer farmers market bounty takes that experience to the next level. Those juicy tomatoes! Farm-fresh meats! Crispy veggies! Is it just your imagination, or do you actually feel healthier eating these foods in summer? Time to Bite Into Bread with these delicious ideas.

Get to Know the Good in Grains

Essential Shortfall Nutrients

Hungry for more?

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