A Summer Collaboration Special

A farmers market collaboration featuring the sweetest Georgia peaches and fresh herbs that celebrates peak summer flavors

There’s something magical about farmers market collaborations. When you combine the juiciest peaches from your neighboring vendor with fresh herbs and vegetables from your own garden, you create something that truly captures the essence of local, seasonal eating.

This week, I’m thrilled to feature a collaboration with Pearson’s Peaches at our Canton Farmers Market. Their peaches are absolutely incredible—sweet, juicy, and perfectly ripe. Combined with my garden’s fresh herbs and colorful kale, this salad is everything I love about summer eating: vibrant, nutritious, and bursting with flavor.

Why This Salad is a Functional Nutrition Powerhouse

As a functional nutritionist, I design recipes that do more than taste amazing—they provide targeted nutrition for optimal health. This salad delivers on multiple levels:

Anti-Inflammatory Benefits: The combination of fresh herbs, dark leafy greens, and omega-3 rich scallops provides powerful anti-inflammatory compounds that support overall wellness.

Blood Sugar Balance: Despite featuring sweet peaches, this meal maintains stable glucose levels through high-quality protein, healthy fats from goat cheese, and fiber-rich vegetables.

Digestive Support: Fresh herbs like mint and cinnamon basil contain natural digestive enzymes, while the cucumber chutney provides cooling, hydrating benefits.

Antioxidant Abundance: Purple kale gets its color from anthocyanins—the same antioxidants found in blueberries—while the variety of colorful vegetables provides a spectrum of protective compounds.

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Grilled Peach & Kale Power Salad with Cedar Plank Scallops

Serves 2 as a main dish | Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes

Fresh Mint Cucumber Chutney (to top off your salad)

Ingredients:

• 1 medium cucumber, very finely chopped or grated with a cheese grater
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves (about 2 sprigs), finely chopped
• Juice from half of a lemon
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• Pinch of sea salt

Instructions:

1. Combine diced cucumbers with chopped mint in a bowl
2. Add lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and salt
3. Toss gently and let sit for 10 minutes to develop flavors
4. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed

This chutney is incredibly refreshing and provides a cooling contrast to the warm grilled elements

Cedar Plank Scallops with Lemon Garlic Butter

Ingredients:

• 16-20 large sea scallops, side muscles removed *Note* You can also use a mild white fish for this recipe, like halibut, Mahi, red snapper, or grouper
• 2 tbsp grass-fed butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cedar plank, soaked for at least 30 minutes

Instructions:

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat
2. Melt butter and mix with minced garlic and lemon juice
3. Pat scallops dry and season with salt and pepper
4. Place cedar plank on grill for 2-3 minutes until it begins to smoke lightly
5. Brush scallops with lemon garlic butter and place on cedar plank
6. Grill for 6-8 minutes on each side until scallops are golden and cooked through
7. Baste with more garlic butter halfway through cooking

Alternative: Thread scallops on skewers and grill directly over medium heat for 2-3 minutes per side

Grilled Salad Features

Ingredients:

• 8-10 small okra pods*
• 2 tbsp lemon garlic butter (from the scallop recipe)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Pearson’s Peach* –  halved and seed removed

Instructions:

1. Thread okra onto skewers or use a grill basket
2. Brush with lemon garlic butter mixture
3. lightly oil the grill bars and place the okra and peach halves directly onto the grill
4. Grill for 4 minutes per side until tender and lightly charred
5. Season with salt and pepper

Purple okra is not only beautiful but packed with antioxidants and fiber

The Salad & Assembly

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of mixed dinosaur kale and purple kale* –  stems removed and chopped
• 1/2 of grilled peach* – chopped into small 1/4 pieces
• 2-3 sprigs of fresh cinnamon basil leaves* – destemmed, whole
• 2 sprigs fresh mint leaves* – destemmed, whole
• 2-4 oz soft goat cheese, crumbled
• Edible flowers* for garnish

Peach Balsamic Dressing:

• 1/2 of grilled peach*
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley* – chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Will likely make more than what you’ll need for this salad. Save the rest for another tasty salad!

Assembly Instructions (while the scallops, peaches, and okra are on the grill):

1. Prepare the kale: Remove tough stems and chop kale into bite-sized pieces. Massage lightly with a drizzle of olive oil and pinch of salt to soften.
2. Assemble: Toss massaged kale with cinnamon basil and sweet mint. Arrange on serving plates
3. Remove the peaches and okra from the grill. Chop 1/2 of the peach and slice the okra.
4. Make the dressing: Mix together the other half of the peach, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, and chopped parsley in a blender.
5. Add proteins: Place cedar plank scallops and grilled okra alongside or atop the salad.
6. Finish: Drizzle with peach balsamic dressing, crumble goat cheese over top, and garnish with remaining parsley and edible flowers.
7. Serve: Add a large dollop of mint cucumber chutney on the top or on the side for a refreshing contrast.

The Magic of Farmers Market Collaborations

What makes this recipe special isn’t just the incredible flavors—it’s the story behind it. When local farmers and producers collaborate, we create something more meaningful than the sum of their parts. These peaches from Pearson’s Peaches represent hours of careful cultivation, perfect timing, and genuine passion for growing exceptional fruit.

That’s why they’re some of the best peaches you’ll eat!

By supporting local collaborations like this, we’re not just eating better—we’re building community, supporting sustainable agriculture, and connecting with the people who grow our food.

Seasonal Substitutions & Variations

Protein Alternatives:

• Grilled salmon or halibut for those avoiding shellfish
• Marinated grilled chicken for a lighter option
• Other light and mild white fish

Fruit Substitutions:

• Grilled pears in fall
• Fresh strawberries in spring
• Grilled pineapple for tropical variation

Cheese Options:

• Fresh mozzarella for milder flavor
• Feta for Mediterranean twist
• Burrata for extra indulgence

The Functional Medicine Perspective

This salad embodies everything I love about functional nutrition: utilizing fresh, seasonal ingredients to craft meals that support optimal health while satisfying all the senses. Each component serves a purpose:

• Kale varieties provide different antioxidant profiles and vitamin K
• Fresh herbs offer natural digestive support, antioxidants, and antimicrobial benefits
• High-quality protein and fats from scallops support muscle health, hormones, and satiety
• Seasonal fruit provides natural sweetness plus vitamins and fiber
• Edible flowers offer immense antioxidant and phytonutrient spectrums you just can’t get from greens

Growing Your Own Wellness

The herbs featured in this recipe—cinnamon basil, sweet mint, parsley, and edible flowers—are all easy to grow in containers or small garden spaces. Even if you can’t grow everything yourself, seeking out local farmers’ markets and building relationships with growers connects you more deeply with your food.

When you know where your food comes from and how it’s grown, every meal becomes more meaningful and more nourishing.

Visit Us at the Farmers Market

You can find this recipe kit at my Wellness IQ Apothecary booth at the Canton Farmer’s Market this Saturday! I’ll have limited kits available featuring fresh peaches from Pearson’s Peaches, plus all the herbs and vegetables from my organic garden.

Each kit includes:

• Fresh ingredients for the complete recipe
• QR code link to recipe
• Extra herbs for refreshing drinks and garnishes!

If this collaboration is a hit, I’ll bring it back next week too!

Take Your Nutrition to the Next Level

This recipe showcases how seasonal, local eating can be both delicious and incredibly nourishing. If you’re interested in learning how to create personalized nutrition plans that work with your lifestyle and health goals, I’d love to help you discover the power of food as medicine.

Book Your Complimentary Consultation

Jordan Casey, MS, is a functional medicine nutritionist specializing in garden-to-table wellness and personalized nutrition protocols. She serves clients in Canton, Marietta, and throughout Georgia with both in-person and remote consultations.