Enjoy these colorful summer fruits all season long! This guide tells you which fruits are in season, along with plenty of easy, yummy recipe ideas.
I love summer fruits!
Sweet berries, fresh mangos, and juicy watermelons are all over our meal plans as we enjoy the tastes of summer.
I’m utilizing some food storage techniques like dehydrating fruit and freezing to get the most bang for my buck. Putting up food for later is a great way to eat real food on a budget all year long.
This tutorial shows you how to freeze blueberries. I know this will be handy when I’m craving Cheesecake Blueberry Smoothies in January!
We’re also enjoying plenty of fresh summer fruits as snacks, desserts, and sides all season long.
WHY EAT SEASONAL FRUITS IN SUMMER
One way my family is able to keep our grocery budget under control is by paying attention to prices (via a price book) and also stocking up when we see the rock bottom price.
Buying seasonal fruits in summer is one GREAT way to buy food at its lowest price. Not only do farmers’ markets have seasonal produce, but you’ll see lower prices in grocery stores, too!
Besides super low prices, the nutrients and taste of summer season fruit just can’t be beat. It’s well worth taking the time to research what food is in season. And that’s where this summer fruits guide comes into play!
11 SUMMER FRUITS
Summer fruits are packed full of sweet, fresh flavor! We try to enjoy as much as we can while they’re in season, and also preserve some for future meals.
APRICOTS
Apricot season starts in spring, but if you haven’t had fresh apricots yet, you need to try them! They are so tasty. Like plums and peaches, they have a pit in the center, so be careful if you take a bite. Apricots are high in vitamins A, C, K, and E and are also a good source of fiber.
- Healthy Jam Oatmeal Bars (use apricot preserves!)
- Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Bars (substitute apricots!)
- One Pan Apricot Chicken
- Homemade Fruit Leather
AVOCADOS
It’s still avocado season (whoop whoop!) and you can find some incredible prices on avocados. Since they are so high in healthy fats, good for heart health and digestive function, I like to make them a regular part of my diet.
Freezing ripe avocados is a great hack for storing fresh produce when it’s at rock-bottom prices!
- Avocado Chocolate Mousse
- Simple Guacamole
- Our Favorite Beans and Rice Recipe
- Avocado Toast
- Cobb Pasta Salad
BLACKBERRIES
Berry season is still in full swing in most places, although it will start to wind down soon. Strawberries and blueberries are favorites in our household, but we can’t forget blackberries!
They have a huge supply of daily vitamin C and vitamin K, which help fight illness and aid in blood clotting. Blackberries are also full of dietary fiber.
- Berry Pie
- Easy Fruit and Yogurt Parfait
- Goat Cheese, Blackberry, and Almond-Topped Toast
- Breakfast Porridge (use blackberries as a topping!)
- 3-Ingredient Yogurt Pops
BLUEBERRIES
As I just said, blueberries are a great favorite in our house! From muffins to pies to kale salads, we add blueberries to all kinds of meals in the summer! High in vitamins C, K, and B6, these little berries boost your immune system and keep you healthy in the hot sun.
- Cheesecake Blueberry Smoothie
- Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
- Slow Cooker Blueberry Cobbler
- No-Bake Blueberry Coconut Pie
- Kale Salad with Blueberries, Walnuts, and Feta
CHERRIES
Depending on where you live, cherry season can last for a couple of months or be as short as two weeks! When you see cherries at a low price, be sure to snatch them up because in a blink, they will be gone! Well known to be high in antioxidants, cherries are great for heart health and overall body wellness.
- How to Pit a Cherry
- Cherry Limeade Popsicles
- Summer Buzz Fruit Salad (uses TONS of seasonal fruits!)
- Berry Pie (use cherries instead, or a mix of cherries and berries)
- Add halved cherries to a salad like the Best Kale Salad
MANGO
Fresh mango is VERY sweet and perfect when the sweet craving hits. High in minerals like potassium, magnesium, and iron, plus vitamin C, they are perfect for keeping your immune system strong.
MELONS
Summer is prime time for watermelon (more about that below), but don’t forget about cantaloupe and honeydew melon! You should be able to find a variety of melons in your summer season fruits. Melons are high in vitamins A, B, and C, plus various minerals like sodium, potassium, and magnesium.
I like to dig into a bowl of fruit salad with fresh melon, but you can try one of these recipes to dress it up.
- Easy Cantaloupe Sorbet
- Spicy Melon Salad
- 3-Ingredient Honeydew Ice Cream
- Fresh Cantaloupe and Honeydew Salad with Lemon and Thyme
PEACHES
Peaches are delicious! They come in white and red varieties, and related are nectarines (which are also too good to pass up). Stone fruits are a rich source of potassium, vitamin A, beta-carotene, and vitamin C.
I’m a big fan of plain peach slices with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. YUM!
- Slow Cooker Peach Cobbler
- Oatmeal Peach Breakfast Crumble
- Slow Cooker Fruit Butter (use peaches instead of apples)
- Add to Caprese Salad
- Top your bowl of Homemade Greek Yogurt or High Protein Oatmeal with sliced peaches
- How to Freeze Strawberries (use this method and have peachy goodness all year long!)
RASPBERRIES
Similar in nutrient values to blackberries and blueberries, raspberries are a good way to have some variety when it comes to berry flavors! They tend to be a bit more tart than their berry relatives and have high quantities of polyphenolic antioxidants like anthocyanins, which give them their red color.
Berries are on their way out of season, so this is your last chance for fresh raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries! I’m all about freezing them for use all year long.
- How to Freeze Raspberries
- Healthy Fruit Pizza
- 3-Ingredient Yogurt Popsicles (add raspberries!)
- Raspberry Crumble Bars
- Easy Raspberry Bread
- Add to the top of Homemade Chocolate Pudding (along with Homemade Whipped Cream)
STRAWBERRIES
I don’t know about your area, but when I’m driving around running errands, I see little stands on the side of the road advertising fresh strawberries! I’m a sucker for these stands and often stop and ask their prices. If I find one that beats out my local store (using my price book!) I stock up!
Strawberries are high in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Plus, they taste amazing!
- Strawberry Pancakes
- No Cook Strawberry Freezer Jam
- Strawberry Lemonade Donuts
- Strawberry Pecan Blue Cheese Kale Salad
- Classic Strawberry Pretzel Salad
- No Jello Strawberry Poke Cake
- Strawberry Lemonade Kombucha
WATERMELON
Just in time for the Fourth of July, you can find watermelon ready and ripe! A classic side dish for summer picnics and family gatherings, watermelon is hydrating, full of vitamins, and good for heart health.
- Watermelon Cake
- Grilled Watermelon
- Watermelon, Cucumber, & Feta Salad
- Watermelon Slushy Recipe
- Add pureed watermelon to Healthy Homemade Lemonade
- Watermelon makes a great easy side for camping too
SUMMER FRUITS NAMES OF GENERAL RECIPES
Now that we’ve gone through the summer fruits names, nutrition, and specific recipe ideas, try some of these yummy recipes that can work with a variety of fruits!
- Make a fruit salad with whatever fresh chopped fruit you have on hand
- Enjoy smoothies and fresh squeezed juices with fresh or frozen fruit (include a banana to make it creamy!)
- Healthy Fruit Pizza
- Make a fruit topping for Cheesecake, like this No Bake Cheesecake
- Add fruit to salads for a touch of sweetness, like this Easy Strawberry Salad Recipe
- Fruit and Yogurt Parfait with Granola
- Fruit makes a great topping for yogurt, oatmeal, pancakes, and ice cream
Store your summer fruit in the refrigerator and wash using one of these methods!
TRACKING SUMMER FRUITS WITH NAMES
I use My Fitness Pal to track what I’m eating. I like to track my summer fruits with names and use the weight in grams for my serving size. So, an entry might include “Blueberries, USDA, 100g”
This is where a kitchen scale comes in handy, because each fruit is going to be a slightly different size.
If you don’t have a kitchen scale, you can measure your serving of fruit with measuring cups or estimate the size. One cup (90g) of chopped raw fruit is about the size of a baseball (or about the size of my fist). A medium apple or orange is the size of a tennis ball.
Once you’ve measured or weighed your portions of fruit a few times, you’ll be able to estimate pretty well the amount of your serving.
MORE WAYS TO SAVE ON GROCERIES
- Summer Vegetables
- How to Eat Seasonal Produce
- Shopping the Farmer’s Market on a Budget
- How to Make a Frugal Grocery Budget
- 12 Ways to Reduce Food Waste
- 38 Ways to Save on Food Year-Round
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