Fresh mozzarella, hand-torn basil leaves, crisp cucumbers, a slice of Campari tomato, and balsamic glaze make for easy and fresh Garden Caprese Stacks!

Do you grow a garden? What do you grow?

I always love growing a garden. Some years I just grow a little salsa garden, and some years I grow a lot more.

Three things I pretty much always grow are cucumbers, tomatoes, and basil! Fresh herbs are so amazing to grow. There is just something about walking out to your garden to snip off some herbs for whatever you are making that I think makes it taste so much better.

I wanted to create an appetizer that would embody what a garden means to me, but also that would be super duper easy to make! And so the Garden Caprese Stacks, which by the way, are amazing. They have creamy fresh mozzarella, fresh and fragrant basil, a crunchy slice of cucumber, and a vine-ripened tomato. Then I topped them with a balsamic glaze.

You can make your own balsamic reduction by bringing a cup of balsamic to a boil, then letting it simmer until it is reduced to about a third. Or you can take the easy route and buy a bottle of balsamic glaze, which is basically already reduced balsamic.

I chose the easy route, which made making these so very easy! Just slice the mozzarella, tear the basil, slice the cucumber and tomato, then assemble!

I know caprese usually does not include cucumber, but the crunch of the cucumber is SERIOUSLY great, and since cucumber is a mild-flavored garden produce, you get all the flavor you want from caprese with ease, and a fun twist!