Summer Fruit
One of the great delights of summer is the abundance of fruit.
This time of year green grocers burst forth with fruit. Fruit is rich in vitamins and flavor. If you are able - buy local fruit, as imports often lose their flavor in transit. The time peaches, or blackberries or watermelon will become locally available in your area depends on how far south you are.
This is a guide based on fruit available both in Southern California and in Okanagan BC Canada These harvesting seasons should approximately correspond to similar latitudes across North America. Remember local fruit availability can change depending on weather conditions.
Berries
Berries are versatile. They are great for muffins, or pancakes, salads , pies and crisps. Many places in North America have indigenous berries, like the Saskatoon, Service and Boysenberry.
Strawberries are a nutritional powerhouse and one of the first summer berries. In California, the season is from February to November. Further north, the harvest is in June to July with second bloom in late August.
Here are some ideas from Seasonal Cooking and from other Suite articles:
The Boysenberries and Olallieberries are in season in California by June. Black, blue and raspberries are all harvested in July in the Okanagan. I love them in a crisp with apples or in muffins. They're also great as jams.
Raspberry Vanilla Yogurt Muffins
You can also try Jaqueline Church's Layoff Pie with blueberries
Easy Raspberry Pineapple tarlets
Peaches, Apricots, Nectarines, Plums
These are not only wonderful snacking fruit but they are also great in fruit salads, cakes, or just with whip cream or yogurt.
Apricots are delight fresh just the way they are but the dried variety are great in curries, fried rice or granola. Their season is May and June in California, July and August in the Okanagan.
Peaches are wonderful in upside down cakes, parfaits, and peeled and sliced up you can use them wherever you use strawberries like in pancakes. They are a mid-July treat in the Okanagan but have a long growing season of May to October in California.
Nectarines are first cousins of the peach and rich in beta-carotene. I remember the first time I ate one, thinking how wonderful to eat something that tastes so much like a peach but without the fuzz! Generally available in most places by July through August.
Picking the right peach or nectarine is simple. They should have a good all round color and not be too hard or too soft. I mostly go by my nose: the better the smell the better they are.
We used to have a plum tree in our backyard, but it was difficult getting at the plums because they were so high up. It's a beautiful tree and fruit. Plums make great jams. They are plentiful starting in May in California and mid August further north.
Here's a Carolina Peach Pound Cake
Melons
Does anything else say summer more than sitting outside and digging into a big juicy watermelon? It's messy but so much fun to eat. All melons are wonderful in fruit salads. For a fancy presentation, cut and scoop out a watermelon into a bowl. Using a melon spoon, scoop out varies types of melons and fill up the watermelon container.
Watermelon is lovely to eat, and the juice is wonderful in a drink. Try it with vodka at the end of a hot day.
Here are some Watermelon party ideas
The best way to find out if a watermelon is ripe is to hit it; it should have a hollow sound. Anyone wanting Okanagan watermelons will have to wait until August but the Californian kind are ready from May to November.
I pick cantaloupes by smelling the top dip down part and by pressing the bottom. The top part should have a strong aroma and the bottom part should be elastic to the touch. They are available in May through fall in California. Watch for honeydew in July.
The Exotics - Mangoes, Lychee nuts, and Fresh Figs
It used to be a great treat for us to get mangoes but not anymore. Now they are sold almost year round, though summer is the best time. Besides just eating them, they are wonderful in a fruit drink or in a chutney, or scoop them out, mush the flesh and gently fold it into whip cream. They are rich in vitamin C and A.
The first time I had a lychee nut I thought this is just about the best candy in the world! It's the best snack. I usually see them in the markets in late May and they are usually around until the end of summer. They are wonderful for snacking on while walking around at the fair.
I only just recently tasted fresh figs and couldn't believe how different they are from the dried kind. They are still fairly rare where I live but usually show up in later summer.
For more fruit facts, tips and recipes see Fruit Index
Fruits are great for picnics.
I'm going to be writing about many of these fruits this summer so watch for them and please take my poll at Seasonal Cooking .
