One of my favorite summer pastimes is indulging in the abundance of fruit in every way, shape and form. And theres just no better way to celebrate the freshest flavors of the season than to feast upon the (literal) fruits of your local farmers labor.
I wrote previously about five of my favorite summer vegetables, but below are my top five fruits that are absolute must-haves for summer munching. Whether you cook, bake and grill with them or simply devour them in their original condition, this tasty produce is now at its peak and ripe for the picking so enjoy!
Apricots, Plums & Pluots
Allow me wax nostalgic for a moment, but stone fruits always seem to signal the official arrival of summer. Youre familiar with apricots and plums, yes. But have you tried the aptly-named and relatively-young pluot, which burst onto the scene in the late 20th century? Its a super-sweet hybrid of the plum and apricot with a ratio of about 70% and 30%, respectively. When selecting any stone fruit, look for plump, firm skin that is unbroken and free of blemishes. Ripen at room temperature and then refrigerate or eat immediately for a delicious snack. Or for an easy complement to grilled pork or lamb chops, simply cut the fruit in half (removing the pit) and brush with equal parts honey and Dijon mustard before grilling until browned on both sides.
Berries
Versatile and popular, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and even the more exotic boysenberries and olallieberries are wonderful fresh, naturally sweet and require very little effort to prepare. Not only are they packed with vitamins and nutrients, but a diet rich in colorful berries may help reduce your risk of several types of cancer, thanks to their phytochemicals and flavonoids. Choose ripe, vibrant-looking berries that are firm with no mushy spots or mold. For a healthy summer dessert topper, puree two cups of the berries of your choice in a food processor with two tablespoons each of blackberry brandy and orange juice, plus three tablespoons honey. Strain out the seeds through a sieve, and just before serving over frozen yogurt or angel food cake, mix the sauce with one cup of fresh berries.
Figs
I only recently tried fresh figs while traveling in Italy and immediately fell in love with them, so much so that I ended up dragging my unsuspecting husband through several fruit market detours to get my fix. Over there, they carefully choose the fruit for you, selecting specimens at the peak of perfection to be inhaled directly after buying. But since theyre so delicate and perishable, fresh figs are something of a rarity here in the States. I was disappointed but not surprised to discover that the majority of Americans have never eaten them. If you do stumble upon fresh figs, however, keep two things in mind: 1) Buy without hesitation (trust me!), and 2) Avoid figs that look shrunken, are oozing from splits, are leaking milky liquid from the stem or are generally overly-squishy with signs of mold. For an appetizer (or dessert) to impress even the toughest of guests, try quartering fresh figs just down to the base before filling with blue cheese crumbles and drizzling with local honey.
Melons
Summer picnics would not be complete without big, juicy watermelons. Whether you toss pieces in a fruit salad, chomp on thick slices and practice spitting the seeds or scoop fruit directly from the makeshift rind bowl, they are delicious, refreshing and hydrating. The same goes for cantaloupes and honeydew, which are satisfying, nutrient-dense and low in calories. When perusing fruit at the market, keep in mind that ripe watermelon has a hollow sound when knocked on, and cantaloupes and honeydew should have a strong, sweet aroma in the top part and a bottom thats elastic to the touch. Make a simple-yet-sophisticated dessert by de-rinding and cubing or balling melon before tossing with a half cup of chopped fresh mint and drizzling with local honey.
Peaches & Nectarines
Originally native to China, peaches come in both white and yellow varieties, with the white flesh having lower acidity and lacking the subtle tang of the yellow. On average, nectarines (with recessively smooth skin) tend to run smaller and sweeter, but both are wonderful for snacking. Pick fruit that has a good all-over color and is neither too hard nor too soft, but go more off of smell the more your mouth waters from the sweet aroma, the better the fruit will be. A fat reducing overview can help you construct a clear outline of what you demand to focus on to accomplish your fat reduction purpose if you're a rookie; or serve as a reminder for the ones who are at an intermediate or more enhance step of their losing weight strategy. Promptly after are seven steps that can serve as instructions for your personal weight loss plan. The first thing that one must understand is that losing weight and losing fat is not the same thing. Many weight loss courses have misled people into believing that it is the same, but most diets and weight loss programs only work by producing a person's body to lose more muscle cells and water than actual body fat, more help please visit The Fat Loss Factor. Kick your next brunch up a notch with this fun drink: Dice two peaches, two nectarines and one mango (all sans skins and pits). Place chopped fruit into a blender and pour in enough of your favorite fizzy mixer (ginger ale, tonic water, sparkling mineral water, etc.) to just cover the fruit before blending until smooth. Slowly add more mixer until you get your preferred consistency, garnishing with fresh mint (or, lets face it, a floater of champagne), if desired.
Pick up your own farm-fresh selection of summer fruit weekly at the Downtown San Jose Farmers Market, which runs Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. For more information, visit the website here.
Or locate your own local farmers market at the Natural Resources Defense Councils Smarter Living: Eat Local site here, which includes information about markets around the country as well as which produce is currently in season around the U.S.
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