There is nothing more straight forward than combining fresh, crunchy veggies with a tasty dip, but sometimes we need a little reminder of all the tasty options available to us locally throughout the year. Whether you’re packing your kids lunches, making a veggie platter for a gathering, or just wanting to eat healthier snacks, allow these seasonal veggies to inspire you. Mix and match a few vegetables during each season to experiment with flavors and learn to love items that may have challenged you in the past.

Spring veggies for dipping: 

• Red radishes (halved or whole)
• Scallions
• Kohlrabi (sliced or cut into spears)
• Salad turnips (sliced or cut into chunks or spears)
• Snap peas
• Little gem or romaine lettuce
• Beets (peeled and sliced raw, or pre-boiled, peeled and cut into chunks)
• Bok choy with leaves trimmed back (think celery substitute) 
• Spring onions quarter and grill or roast

Summer veggies for dipping: 

• Green or Romano beans
• Scallions
• Kohlrabi (sliced or cut into spears)
• Cucumbers (sliced or cut into spears)
• Zucchini (sliced or cut into spears)
• Cherry tomatoes 
• Sweet peppers (cut into strips or snack size)
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower 
• Celery
• Beets (peeled and sliced raw, or pre-boiled, peeled and cut into chunks)
• Carrots (sliced or cut into spears)
• New potatoes par boiled and cooled

Fall veggies for dipping: 

• Beets (peeled and sliced raw, or pre-boiled, peeled and cut into chunks)
• Scallions
• Celery
• Salad turnips (sliced or cut into chunks or spears)
• Red Radishes 
• Rutabaga (sliced or cut into spears)
• Kohlrabi (sliced or cut into spears)
• Sweet peppers (cut into strips or snack size)
• Carrots (sliced or cut into spears)
• Little gem or romaine lettuce
• Daikon or Other Winter Radish (sliced)
• Brussels Sprouts (roasted whole)

Winter veggies for dipping: 

• Carrots (sliced or cut into spears)
• Beets (peeled and sliced raw, or pre-boiled, peeled and cut into chunks)
• Celeriac (peeled and sliced or cut into spears)
• Rutabaga (peeled and sliced)
• Daikon or Other Winter Radish (sliced)
• Potatoes (small potatoes roasted whole, or larger potatoes cut into chunks and roasted)

Add a really great dip

Store bought or homemade, you can get wildly creative here or stay super simple. 

We love having a few of our favorite store-bought dips on hand throughout the year so we have easy grab and go snacks.  Here’s some of our go to favorites: 

• Store-bought hummus (any brand)
• Bitchin’ sauce (or any other nut-based dip you can find). Our family loves the Chipotle! 
• French onion dip (we’re partial to this one made in Wisconsin by a dairy cooperative)
• Spinach artichoke dip (often found in the freezer section)
• Bottled ranch for something shelf stable that pairs well with pretty much anything

When we have a bit more time, we’ll make our own dips. Our top five favorites can be found below. You can also make hummus or French onion dip from scratch if you’re feeling ambitious. 

• Green goddess dressing
• Creamy dill dressing
• Traditional Greek tahini dip
• Whipped basil ricotta 
• White miso dip

Take your dips to the next level

Did you know you can make dips with veggies in them? Doubling up on your ability to devour healthy items from the market or CSA box? Here’s a couple of our favorite dip recipes utilizing seasonal produce.

Spinach, turnip & green garlic dip

Recipe by The Leek & The Carrot

Yield: 3 cups
Time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS: 

2 tablespoons butter

2 green garlic, white and pale green parts only, minced

1 bunch turnips (or radishes), roots shredded and greens, roughly chopped

2-4 cups spinach, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

8-ounce cream cheese

2 ounces Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION:

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add garlic and saute for 1 minutes over medium heat until very fragrant. Add radishes and cook, tossing, until well-coated in butter, 1-2 minutes longer. Add spinach and radish greens along with salt. Cook until wilted and most of the liquid is cooked off., 5-10 minutes. Add cream cheese and cook until melted. Stir in Parmesan and pepper until melted and creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings.
2. Serve warm with toast, in a bread bowl or with crackers.

Leek & pepper pretzel dip

Recipe by The Leek & The Carrot

Yield: 3 cups
Time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 large leek, quartered and sliced

1 colored pepper, seeded and diced very small

2-3 jalapenos, seeded and diced very small

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

PREPARATION:

1. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add leek, peppers, mayonnaise and salt. Stir to combine until uniformly mixed. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
2. Serve immediately or chilled with pretzels (and/or very sturdy, crunchy vegetables). Dip lasts about a week.