My favorite thing about summer? The produce. From vibrant peppers and sweet tomatoes to gem-like berries and juicy watermelon, food simply tastes better. With June around the corner, it’s time to add more variety to your plate. Think fresh strawberries, fragrant basil, and grilled corn. With a few simple swaps, you’ll be more creative in the kitchen. Meaning, new recipes, delicious flavors, and an uptick in vitamins and minerals. So, let’s find out what fruits and vegetables are in season in summer, how to buy them, and what to cook with them.
Eat the Rainbow
Speaking of health, summer produce is packed with antioxidants and phytochemicals. It’s colorful for a reason. Bright colors in natural foods (tomatoes, carrots, leafy greens, etc.) contain polyphenols—and polyphenols help prevent disease. These compounds are found in all kinds of plants. Consuming them regularly has been associated with a reduced risk in many chronic illnesses.
In most cases, the deeper the color, the more nutritious the food. For example, blueberries help keep your mind sharp, and tomatoes are linked to a decrease in prostate cancer. To get the maximum disease-fighting power of these phytochemicals, eat the rainbow. And in the summer, eating the rainbow tastes so good.
What Is Seasonal Eating?
Seasonal eating is consuming food at peak harvest. Said differently: it’s fresh produce that’s in-season, whether you buy it or grow it. For example, stone fruit shines from May through October—peak summer produce. Digging into a stone fruit salad with basil, in June, is seasonal eating. Grow your own cucumbers? Et voilà, you’re eating with the seasons.
Why You Should Eat With the Seasons
Because of modern-day agriculture and technology, food is easily transported all over the world. Because of this, most metropolitan grocery stores carry the same produce, year-round (i.e. apples). While this aids in access, it makes it harder to distinguish between what is grown in season, versus not. You can use this Seasonal Food Guide to learn more about what fruits and veggies are grown across the United States, by month.
At any rate, there are so many benefits to eating with the seasons.
- From a health perspective, foods consumed during their appropriate seasons are more nutritionally dense. In a study evaluating vitamins in broccoli, it was found broccoli that’s grown in the fall (its peak season) had more vitamin C than broccoli grown during the spring. Beyond nutrition, fruits and veggies cultivated during their natural growing season have much more flavor and ripeness.
- From a social perspective, eating seasonally is a way to support and connect with your local community—mainly, farmers. Across the United States, there are many CSAs (community-supported agriculture), in which you can purchase a box of fruits, veggies, and proteins that are grown in season. That said, “locally grown” signs or stickers at the grocery store will indicate what’s in season.
- From a financial perspective, eating seasonally is more economical. When a fruit or veggie is in season, there is an abundance. In turn, it’s available at a lower price. Also, produce grown close to home costs less money to transport it culminating in a lower overall cost at purchase (this is also a win for the environment). Lastly, when you support local farmers and growers, that money stays in the community and subsequently helps stimulate local economies.
What Fruits and Vegetables Are in Season in Summer?
Click on each ingredient below to go straight to that section:
How to Buy Basil
There are a few different varieties of basil, but you want to choose a flagrant, voluptuous bunch with bright green, unbruised leaves. Sweet basil is most popular, but Thai basil is pungent and has purple hues. To keep basil fresh, prepare it like a flower bouquet.
What to Cook with Basil
Sweet Potato Fries With Vegan Carrot Top Pesto
Packed with lemon zest, raw pumpkin seeds, and a handful of carrot tops (you can’t taste them—promise!), this dairy-free pesto is a fridge staple. Delicious on top of roasted carrots, it’s also a satisfying pasta sauce and sandwich spread.
How to Buy Bell Peppers
When it comes to buying bell peppers, select firm and crisp bell peppers and feel dense. You want to avoid any that are shriveled or have soft spots. Depending on the recipe you’re making, size and shape matter. For example, choose round, block-shaped peppers if you’re making a stuffed peppers recipe.
What to Cook With Bell Peppers
Easy Grilled Veggie Skewers
These veggie skewers are made with a variety of seasonal produce. They’re the perfect summer BBQ addition. Any bell peppers will do (yellow, red, orange, and green). If you can find heirloom bell peppers at your local grocery store or farmers market, they are equal parts beautiful as they are packed with vitamin C.
How to Buy Blueberries
When you buy fresh blueberries, most come in a plastic or cardboard carton. Look for berries that are firm, dry, and smooth-skinned. Like bell peppers, you don’t want shriveled or soft spots. Although size isn’t an indicator of peak harvest, color is. Blueberries should be a deep purple-blue hue.
What to Cook With Blueberries
