For me, summertime means more time to read, outdoor barbecues, long bike rides, and eating loads of food I can’t get at school (fresh spinach and Indian food I’m looking at you). One thing I noticed on my quest to devour everything in sight is that some foods just taste better during the summer. After asking around, I realized that this is because those things are in-season.
Eating in-season not only means everything tastes delicious, there are also many other advantages.
The first is that in-season fruits and veggies might actually be cheaper now, because farmers have an abundance of these fruits and veggies on hand since it is their growing season. The second is that vitamins and minerals from in-season foods can support your body’s natural nutrition needs; for example, stone fruits offer beta-carotene that can help protect our skin from sun damage (but still, use sunscreen!).
The last reason to eat in-season foods is that is environmentally friendly. Eating produce in season means the produce is likely local because it is naturally growing at this time of year and didn’t need to be shipped from abroad. This in turn means less transport and refrigeration all of which overall lead to less carbon emissions. As a bonus, eating in-season also likely supports local businesses, since the produce is probably local.
Now that you know the advantages to eating in season, here are some of the freshest stars of the summer!
Stone Fruits (Apricots, Peaches, Plums, Nectarines, Cherries)
Stone Fruits are fruits with a large, hard seed in the middle: think peach or cherry pits. All these fruits are super sweet and fresh in the summer, so go get some and try this delicious almond cake with apricot if you’re in the mood for baking.
Berries (Blackberries, Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries)
Berries, so numerous, so tasty, and oh so in season during the summer! My personal favorites are strawberries, with raspberries being a close second. Load yourself up with berries when you drop by the farmer’s market and if you find yourself with extras, try this totally in-season peach and raspberry cobbler.
Tomatoes
As a born and raised Jersey Girl, I grew up seeing tomatoes everywhere (they’re on our license plates, people) and eating them in basically every meal. This summer, throw cherry tomatoes in your salad roast them on the grill, or use full ones in sandwiches or to thicken up your gravy. Or, when in Jersey, use them to make some awesome tortellini.
Avocado
A healthy source of fats, delicious purveyor of guacamole, and very instagrammable, it’s the avocado back at it again. Summer is the time to stock up, so eat them plain, mix them into smoothies, or go with a classic avocado toast for breakfast.
Melons
Melons are a classic summer fruit, I remember going to the supermarket and buying a watermelon when we had our annual 4th of July barbecue. Cantaloupes, watermelons, and honeydew melons are all at their sweetest and ripest during the summer months. For those days its hot, hazy and you need a pick-me-up try this refreshing mint watermelon smoothie.
Bell Peppers
I am partial to peppers on pizza, with olives or jalapenos, but peppers are useful for many other recipes. They are good stuffed, as a substitute for bread, or as part of this savory version of Shakshouka (Tunisian style eggs).
Mangoes
Mango is, plain and simple, the ultimate summer fruit (in my humble opinion). It is sweet, bright, and perfect in almost anything. Growing up, mangoes were as prevalent to me as tomatoes. I drank mango juice, gulped down mango lassi, made mango chutney, devoured mango kulfi, and ate full mangoes in the backyard with my dad (they were too messy for the kitchen). The debate may never be settled over Frooti vs Maaza, but you can get your own mango fix with some homemade mango ice cream.
So there you have it, a list of some of the best fresh fruits and vegetables the summer has to offer. However, this list is not exhaustive, so check out this other list of what’s in season. Now, enjoy your summer with all the beautiful delicacies nature has to offer us.