We here in the States have been spoiled, much to our own detriment — we’re able to get any fruit or vegetable year-round, not just when they’re in season… but the down side is that we’ve forgotten just how delicious fruits and vegetables in season can be! Why sacrifice flavor in the summer, when so many of our favorite fruits and veggies are at their yummiest? Here’s my list of ten fruits and vegetables to enjoy this summer…
Photo Credit: MeetaK
Is there anything sweeter and easier to eat than a handful of fresh, ripe berries? Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries — all of them are so delicious! For an added thrill, pick your own, rinse well, and eat them still warm…
Photo Credit: Adam Fick
If you’ve never had a peach fresh from the tree, you haven’t really ever had a peach. They’re small, juicy, and so sweet… if you can, find a local orchard where you can pick your own… then make a pie of the ones you don’t eat!
Photo Credit: mistubako
There are so many types of plums, there’s bound to be one you’ll love… or maybe more than one you’ll love! My favorites are the blue-ish black ones, especially when they’re ripe and the tree is swarmed with drunken bees… so sweet and delicious!
Photo Credit: iamchanelle
Kind of like a peach, only firmer, not as sweet, and without the fuzz! Nectarines make great additions to cold fruit salad… they also make a great snack!
Photo Credit: Adam Fick
It’s close, but my very favorite summer fruit or vegetable has to be the cucumber. They TASTE like summer, green, lush, cool, and sweet, all at once. Add them to a salad, or just peel and slice and enjoy out of the fridge…
Photo Credit: Opus104
Asparagus is one of the first vegetables I can pick from my garden in the spring, and only then for a week or so before it turns from the skinny sprout we eat into a wispy, airy plant… wrap them in foil with some olive oil and salt and pepper and put them on the grill for a fifteen minutes… tasty!
Photo Credit: Gordana AM / lepiaf.geo
Here in Michigan we grow lots and LOTS of cherries, and we’re known for our cherries from Traverse City especially. For me, summer means fingers dyed red and purple from cherry juice… they’re so delicious and sweet… I just wish they were easier to eat!
Photo Credit: Ånne
There are so many leafy greens that come ripe in late spring! Perfect for salad lovers or for people who just want a little something different! Who wants plain old iceberg lettuce or spinach when there are so many other greens to choose from in the summer?
Photo Credit: a.rud.beth
No, I don’t mean lime-flavored jelly beans! I’m talking about long, fat green beans, the kind that grow on vines that wrap around trellises and are good for eating cooked or raw. Yum! This is a sneaky way to get your kids to eat their vegetables, too… I’ve never met a child that didn’t love fresh green beans!
Photo Credit: Darwin Bell
So many varieties of tomato, so little time! Think of all the things we eat with tomatoes in them or on them… then think how much tastier they would be with FRESH, ripe tomatoes! Is there anything more delicious that a tomato from your own garden in late summer?
With so many delicious fruits and vegetables just about to come ripe, this is my favorite time of the year! Which of these summer fruits and veggies do you long for all year? Or is there another one I’ve left off my list? Please let me know!
Top Photo Credit: laurenlemon