Welcome to Pepperville! I mean Labor Day weekend. Otherwise known as glorious farm-produce-overload time on the Vineyard. Have you seen all the colorful peppers at Morning Glory? They're ripening up fast in my garden, too, especially this great orange bell pepper called Glow. Not only has it been prolific, but it's actually ripening before October. I'm hearing from gardeners all over the Island that it's been a banner year not just for peppers but for all flowering, fruiting, edible plants. The bees have clearly been busy.

So first in line to use up those peppers is a recipe for Grill-Roasted Peppers with Goat Cheese and Cherry Tomato Dressing. The warm sweet peppers with soft goat cheese is a sublime combo; the peppy tomatoes (spiked with garlic, sherry vinegar and herbs) offer the perfect contrast. These are fun to make (don't worry if the peppers look a bit misshapen — they will taste great) and make a nice starter or side dish. With a green salad, veg-heads would call it dinner.

Susie Middleton

The shishito peppers won't let up, so if you're tired of serving them grilled and seared with just a smattering of salt, pair them with a super delicious Roasted Bell Pepper (yep) and Sundried Tomato Romesco. Or serve that Romesco with Seared Sea Scallops.

Sautéed shishitos make a hearty toast topping: Try them in this recipe for Warm Ciabatta Toasts with Lemony Hummus and Sautéed Veggies.

Randi Baird

Toss any leftover peppers into Roasted August Vegetables with Garlic, Ginger, and Lime and use that as a bed for Seared Black Sea Bass.

Susie Middleton

And be sure to make Roast Fish Peperonata. Cod, halibut, monkfish — any good fish for roasting is better and moister with this oven-roasted pepper sauce. (Hey, we've got a little rainy weather coming our way. If you feel like simmering something hearty but still late-summery, try making Monkfish a L'Armoricaine.)

Susie Middleton

The other thing going nuts in my garden are my pole Rattlesnake green beans. They get big so fast that i'm inevitably harvesting beans of all different sizes. They have so much flavor though that they are ideal for the slow-sauté treatment.

Cooked in a crowded pan over medium heat for about 25 minutes, the beans sort of brown-braise themselves, giving off moisture to help each other steam through while browning at the same time. Our favorite iteration has lots of torn up applewood-smoked bacon tossed in the pan, along with a couple of aromatic veggies like shallots and peppers (of course!) that will release moisture and flavor, too. But we also like a variation with shiitakes and prosciutto.

Susie Middleton

Okay, setting aside peppers (but not bacon it seems) ... if I had to order up my favorite Labor Day weekend menu, it would star Grilled Pizza (with a topping of roasted tomatoes, bacon and blue cheese.) Just sayin'.

And this Lemony Caesar Salad with Grilled Croutons would be on the table.

Susie Middleton

For dessert? Ice cream pie, of course. This Summer Berry and Vanilla Ice Cream Pie with Chocolate Sauce, to be precise.

Susie Middleton

Barring that, I'd put in another take-out order at State Road restaurant, where we ordered delicious seared scallops, hanger steak and chicken bisteeya the other night for an uncommon cook's night off! Now is a good time to support Island restaurants who've had a tough go this summer. Pick a take-out menu and head for the park or the beach.

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