10 Seasonal Fruits For Summer
Fruit is a very important part of your diet, as it’s full of nutrients your body needs.
Fruit is very important for your immune system, blood pressure, blood sugar, and so on. It's a great source of vitamins, plus it’s delicious.
Fruit tastes the best when it’s in season - you can get the full flavor and nutrition composition when the fruit has reached its peak ripeness.
Buying seasonal fruits and seasonal produce in general (both fruits and vegetables) also allows you to support local farmers. Plus, it’s more affordable when it’s in season. The same applies to summer veggies as well - corn on the cob, summer squash, tomatoes, and more.
There are plenty of seasonal fruits (and overall seasonal produce) you can get from your local farmers market during summer, so in this post, I’m sharing a roundup of seasonal summer fruit.
10 Summer Season Fruits
Don’t get me wrong - fruits are always great to eat! However, there are certain fruits that are in season during summer, and we all know summer produce is the way to go during this season. It’s nutritious and delicious. So, let’s get into summer seasonal fruits to eat.
Plums
Plumbs are amazing for your digestive system, as they are full of dietary fiber. That’s why they can help with constipation. They’re also good for your blood pressure.
As they’re great sources of vitamin C, A, K, calcium, and potassium, they should definitely be summer fruits you eat.
Their peak season is from July to August, so that’s the best time to eat them. Like most other stone fruits, plums are great in summer.
Strawberries
Strawberries are rich in fiber and vitamin C, and they’re great for skin and for your digestion.
The best time to eat strawberries is in June, as that’s when they’re at their peak.
Here’s a delicious sweet and salty salad recipe that includes strawberries, if you want some more ideas on how to incorporate them into your diet.
Strawberry, Pecan & Goat Cheese Salad
390 calories
Ingredients:
2 cups Leafy greens, spinach, raw - 14 calories
¼ cup Pecans (cups) - 188 calories
1 cup Strawberries, fresh - 50 calories
1 oz Cheese, goat - 103 calories
2 Tbsp Vinaigrette, light (less than 50 calories per 2 Tbsp) - 35 calories
Instructions:
Slice strawberries.
Combine all ingredients.
No dairy? Use extra nuts. No nuts? Use seeds.
Watermelon
Is there anything better to eat on a hot summer day than a juicy watermelon?
I don’t think so! It’s cool and refreshing, so it’s the best thing to eat when it’s hot outside (pro tip: make sure you keep it in the fright right before eating, so it’s not room temperature, to make sure it’s as refreshing as possible).
Watermelon is a great source of vitamins C and A - and a great source of water, of course!
To continue the list of salads with fruits and veggies, here’s a watermelon salad, when you want to incorporate this delicious fruit in a bigger meal!
Watermelon, Feta, & Mint Salad
328 calories
Ingredients:
1 cup Watermelon chunks - 46 calories
2 cups Leafy greens, raw - 30 calories
⅓ cup Cheese, crumbled, feta - 133 calories
1 Tbsp Olive oil (Tbsp) - 119 calories
1 Salt, dash - 0 calories
1 Pepper, dash - 0 calories
1 Tbsp Mint - 0 calories
Instructions:
Cut up watermelon into small pieces
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl
No feta? Use avocado, pecans, or sunflower seeds
Pineapple
Pineapple has anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. It also helps you burn calories faster, so it’s great to eat when you’re on a weight loss journey.
It’s the best to eat in summer, and it’s a super popular component of every summer fruit salad around the world!
While it’s debatable whether or not it belongs on pizza, it definitely belongs on your summer menu!
Kiwi
Kiwi is definitely one of the fruits with the most nutrients, and probably one of the healthiest fruits you can eat.
It’s full of vitamin C, vitamin A, iron, and magnesium. It’s also great for your heart, liver, and blood.
Its peak season depends on the location. Kiwi that is grown in the US is the best during fall and winter, however, kiwi that is imported from New Zealand is in peak during summer.
Grapes
Grapes are great sources of potassium, they lower your blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, and help your immune system.
Grapes can be easily found during the summer, and are a delicious snack.
If you mix it with sugar and lime juice, and freeze it, you get a snack that is very similar in taste to Sour Patch Kids! So, it’s a great snack for your kids. Here’s the recipe for that.
Sour Patch Kids Grapes
200 calories
Ingredients:
1 cup Grapes, green - 104 calories
6 tsp Sugar - 96 calories
2 Tbsp Lime, juice - 0 calories
Instructions:
Wash & dry your grapes, then remove each grape from the stem
Mix in the lime juice with your grapes, stir so they’re covered
Either dip each grape in the sugar, or if you’re lazy like me pour the sugar over your grapes & mix so they’re all coated. If you choose this second option, just make sure you drain away any extra lime juice first
Freeze for at least 3 hours on wax paper, and enjoy!
Note: 6 tsp = 2 Tbsp sugar. Use granulated sugar (i.e. not powdered)
Mango
Mango is not only super delicious, but also has tons of nutrients - it has 20 minerals and vitamins. It’s great to eat during summer. It’s a bit higher in calories than some other fruits, but it’s super healthy and should be a part of your summer diet.
If you’re tired of only eating mangoes in fruit salads, here are two savory recipes that include mangoes, so you can switch it up!
Mango Salsa Stuffed Avocados
506 calories
Ingredients:
1 Avocado, small - 233 calories
1 Mango, fresh - 135 calories
1½ oz Mozzarella balls, mini - 121.5 calories
1 Tbsp Cilantro - 0 calories
1 Salt, dash - 0 calories
1 Tbsp Red wine vinegar (Tbsp) - 3 calories
¼ Onion, red - 13.75 calories
Instructions:
Dice mango and red onion.
Slice mini mozzarella balls (sometimes they’re called “pearls”) in halves.
In a bowl, mix mozz balls, mango, red onion, red wine vinegar.
Slice avocado in half, take out the pit.
Fill avocado holes with salsa mixture, have any extra salsa on the side.
Top with a dash of salt, and fresh cilantro to taste.
No dairy? Use bacon bits.
Mango Chicken and Stir Fried Veg
515 calories
Ingredients:
1 cup Asparagus spears, chopped - 27 calories
½ cup Mushrooms, small, whole or sliced - 7.5 calories
½ Onion, red - 27.5 calories
6 oz Chicken thigh, boneless, skinless, raw - 190 calories
1 Mango, fresh - 135 calories
1 Jalapeño, slice - 1 calories
1 Tbsp Cilantro - 0 calories
½ Tbsp Lime, juice - 0 calories
¼ cup Tomatoes, grape - 8 calories
1 Tbsp Olive oil (Tbsp) - 119 calories
1 Salt, dash - 0 calories
Instructions:
Add oil to a pan. Cook chicken for ~6 minutes on each side on medium heat, until cooked through. Use an instant-read thermometer to make sure chicken gets to 165 degrees internally.
Add in the mushrooms, asparagus (chop off hard ends, then halve), and red onion for the last ~5 minutes.
To make mango salsa: Finely chop mango, jalapeno, tomatoes, and cilantro. Combine in a bowl, and top with lime juice.
Serve mango salsa on top of chicken and veggies.
No chicken? Use fish or tofu.
Cherries
Sweet cherries, sour cherries, no matter what you prefer, they’re delicious and healthy!
Their peak season is June and July, so they’re the perfect summer fruit, full of vitamins!
Honeydew Melon
Honeydew Melon is sweet, delicious, and great to eat during spring! It’s high in vitamins A and C, as well as potassium.
Peaches
Peaches are the perfect summer fruit! Which month of the summer they’re best at depends on where you live.
They’re healthy and delicious!
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