Now that summer is here local produce stands and markets are the place to shop!

From main dishes to desserts, fresh summer produce makes a meal tastier as well as more nutritious.

Today’s recipes offer new ideas for farm-fresh summer produce. The recipes are: Peach-Beef Stir Fry, Farmstand Mushroom & Cheese Tart, Summer Eggplant Stew, Baby Greens & Raspberry Vinaigrette, Deep Dish Peach Pie.

PEACH-BEEF STIR FRY

½ lb. boneless sirloin steak, 3 T. soy sauce

½ c. plus 2 T. peach nectar, 1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated

2 T. cornstarch, 1 T. oil

1 T. ginger, chopped fine, 1 T. garlic, chopped fine

¼ c. green onion, sliced, 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

3 to 4 peeled peaches, sliced, 1/3 c. water chestnuts, sliced

1 T. rice wine vinegar ,½ lb. sugar snap peas, sliced

Slice beef into very thin strips. Stir together 2 T. soy sauce, 2 T. peach nectar, grated ginger and cornstarch in a bowl until smooth. Toss the sliced beef with the soy sauce and marinade to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Heat 1 tsp. oil in a wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Add beef with marinade; stir fry until no longer pink, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove to a bowl, scraping out juices with rubber spatula. To skillet add peaches, remaining oil, chopped ginger, garlic, green onion and pepper flakes. Stir fry 1 to 2 minutes. Return beef to pan. Stir in remaining peach nectar, soy sauce and vinegar. Serve immediately over cooked rice.

FARMSTAND MUSHROOM CHEESE TART

1-1/2 c. flour, 1-1/2 c. plus 3 to 4 T. milk

½ c. shortening, 1 T. parsley, chopped

3 lg. egg,s 1 c. Gruyere or Swiss, shredded

1 T. olive oil, ¼ lb. cremini mushrooms

¼ lb. oyster mushrooms, parsley for garnish

½ lb. shiitake mushrooms, ¼ tsp. coarse black pepper

¼ tsp. salt

In medium bowl, stir flour and ½ tsp. salt. With pastry blender cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle 3 to 4 T. milk, 1 T. at a time, into flour mixture, mixing lightly with fork after each addition until pastry is just moist enough to hold together. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin, roll pastry to a 13-inch round. Trim pastry, leaving ½ inch overhang. Fold overhang in and press against side of tart to form a rim 1/8 inch above edge of pan. Prick dough with fork and bake tart shell about 10 minutes or until it starts to turn a golden brown. While crust is baking whisk eggs, chopped parsley, black pepper, 1-1/2 c. milk, and ¾ tsp. salt until blended. Stir in half the shredded Gruyere cheese. In nonstick 12-inch skillet over medium high heat, in hot olive oil, cook thinly sliced mushrooms, stirring frequently, until golden and tender. Sprinkle remaining Gruyere cheese over bottom of tart shell; top with mushrooms. Pour egg mixture over mushrooms. Bake tart 25 to 30 minutes until egg mix is set and nicely browned. Serve hot. Garnish with parsley. Serves 6.

SUMMER EGGPLANT STEW

3 T. olive oil, 1 lg. onion, cubed

2 med. eggplant, cubed, ½ c. olives, sliced

1 T. balsamic vinegar, 2 T. dark brown sugar

9 oz. fresh mozzarella balls, 1 lg. tomato, cut into pieces,

      halved, ¼ c. basil, chopped

In nonstick 12-inch skillet or 5-quart saucepot over medium heat in 1 T. hot olive oil, cook onion 10 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium high. Add 2 more tablespoons olive oil and eggplant to onion in skillet. Cook about 10 minutes more until eggplant is browned. Stir in olives, sugar, vinegar, salt and ½ c. water; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes more until eggplant is tender. Remove skillet from heat; stir in cheese, tomato, and basil. Serves 4.

BABY GREENS WITH RASPBERRY VINAIGRETTE

12 plain breadsticks, 4 oz. prosciutto, cut in strips

1 T. sugar, 3 T. white wine vinegar

1 T. Dijon mustard, 1 c. raspberries

¼ c. extra virgin olive oil, ½ lb. mixed baby greens

4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled, 4 sm. hard boiled eggs

Wrap each breadstick with 1 strip prosciutto; set aside. In large bowl combine sugar, vinegar, and mustard. Add ½ c. raspberries to vinegar mixture; with wire whisk or fork, crush berries slightly. Slowly beat in olive oil. Toss greens with raspberries; tuck in halved eggs. Serve salad with prosciutto wrapped breadsticks. Serves 4.

DEEP DISH PEACH PIE

6 lb. peaches, peeled, sliced, ½ c. quick cooking tapioca

2 T. lemon juice, 1-1/4 c. plus 1 T. sugar

2-1/4 c. flour, ¾ c. shortening

About three hours before serving toss peach slices with tapioca, lemon juice, 1-1/4 c. sugar, and ¾ tsp. salt. Let stand 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. In medium bowl mix flour with 1 tsp. salt. Cut in shortening to resemble coarse crumbs. With fork, stir in 6 to 7 tablespoons cold water until dough is just moist enough to hold together. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spoon peach mixture into 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish. On lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin, roll dough into a rectangle 1 inch larger than baking dish. Place dough rectangle on top of peaches; trim edge, leaving at least 1-inch overhang. Fold under and make high fluted edge. Cut slits or design in crust to allow steam to escape while baking. Brush top of crust with water; sprinkle with 1 T. water. Bake 55 minutes until filling bubbles and crust is golden. Makes 18 servings.