Katie Herring is sales and marketing manager at Cultivate

LAST week’s summer solstice not only marked the longest day of the year but also the end of the UK asparagus season.

It always seems to fly by, but as asparagus plants can grown up to 24cm a day in peak season they need a bit of a rest.

Farmers traditionally stop harvesting the plants on the 21st and then allow the spears to grow into ferns to soak up energy from the sun for the next year's growth spurt.

We might be loosing one great veg from the Cultivate VegVan shelves but the warmer temperatures bring with them a wealth of vibrant and fresh summer produce from our local suppliers: tender lettuce leaves from Sandy Lane Farm, bunches of bulging beets from Restore and crunchy courgettes from North Aston Organics.

Courgettes are one of my favourite vegetables so I’m super happy to have them back on the VegVan, especially as the ones on my own veg patch are a few weeks off being ready.

Courgettes mark the start of a season of squashes which will run right until November.

Over that time we'll have everything from Cinderella-style pumpkins to flying-saucer shaped pattypans.

The summer squashes, like courgettes, are more delicately flavoured than their autumnal relatives and when smaller their skin is tender so no need for peeling.

Teamed with our Isle of Wight tomatoes and organic aubergine they can be turned into a beautiful ratatouille by cutting each veg into rounds and layering in a pan. (check out smokeandthyme.com for a beautiful example recipe for this for our friendly chef Jack Greenall).

Last year I borrowed a spiralizer (you can also use a Julienne peeler) and decided to jump on the bandwagon and try courgetti.

It really was a great pasta alternative and tasted just as good covered in a rich tomato sauce.

What’s more it cooks in seconds and is super low in calories compared to pasta, which totally means you can eat twice as much, right?

Courgette is so versatile it will work in anything from cakes to chutneys so I say bring on the summer glut – I’m armed with my spiralizer and recipe book and I’m ready!