In the summer, I try to head to my favorite farmer’s market once a week. I usually have a few things in mind before I go, but I know that it’s not the grocery store. I’ll have to adapt my expectations based on what’s available or how late I get there.

Sometimes, I have nothing at all in mind and find myself wandering around picking things up that look good, only to come up with something later.

A few weeks ago, I went home with a bunch of random veggies with the plan to turn them into a side dish of some sort. My first thought was roasting, since that is my method of choice for vegetables, but changed course because of the heat. I resorted to a technique I hadn’t used in a while, which is vastly underrated when it comes to vegetable cookery: glazing.

Glazing is a simple technique that coats vegetables, often carrots, in a sugary syrup. I’ve never really liked glazed carrots because they are sweet enough, but other veggies? Let’s try and see.

I had some summer squash, zucchini, onions, peppers, and tomatoes. I was going to settle on just one, but why not all of them?

Plain old sugar is usually the glaze of choice, but I tried honey for more flavor. Instead of traditional butter, I used avocado oil, and added a bit of Colima Sea Salt at the end to contrast with the sweetness of the honey. It turned out to be a delicious, unique summer side dish that I’ll definitely be making again.