August Seasonal Produce Guide

What’s in season in August

Below is a list of the fruits and vegetables that are in season during the month of August. This list may vary depending on where you are located.

Root vegetables

• Beets. Known for their deep, vibrant colors such as red and purple to gold and even striped. They have an earthy, sweet flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked. Don’t toss the beet greens as they are edible and packed with nutrition.
• Carrots. There’s nothing carrots can’t do. They’re sweet and crisp, great for dipping, eaten raw in salads, an fabulous in soups and stews. They can also be grated and added to cakes and muffins for moisture and flavor.
• Radishes. Crisp and peppery in flavor, and perfect raw in salads or roasted. See my produce guide and collection of radish recipes for more information on varieties and ways to use them.

Summer vegetables

• Corn. Crisp, sweet corn is the epitome of summer. It’s available in white, yellow and bi-color varieties, each one with their own sweet flavor. Choose ears with bright green husks and soft silks for maximum freshness. Corn is great boiled or grilled, and works in salads, salsas and more. See my collection of fresh corn recipes for more information.
• Cucumbers. This is one of the most hydrating vegetables, making it very popular in the summer. Varieties include thin-skinned Persian and English cucumbers with no seeds, to larger slicing varieties. They are crisp, cool, and wonderful raw with dips, in salads and pickling.
• Green beans. Also called string beans, green beans are eaten whole, pod and all. They have a crisp, tender texture, mild earthy flavor and subtle sweetness. They’re wonderful cooked in salads and soups, or sautéed for side dishes or in stir fries.
• Rhubarb. This is a vegetable that’s used like a fruit in baking, jams and more. The stalks are long and bright red, with a fibrous texture and tart flavor when it’s raw. Cooking it mellows it’s tart flavor. See my collection of rhubarb recipes to find out more about it!
• Summer squash. These have tender, silky skins and varieties include yellow squash, pattypan, and crookneck squash. They’re mild and buttery in flavor, and are perfect for boiling, sautéing, grilling are more.
• Zucchini. Both dark green and yellow varieties have a soft skin and mild, slightly sweet flavor. It’s mellow flavor makes it very versatile — it’s perfect for grilling, roasting, baked into breads and cakes, or spiralized into veggie noodles.

Fruits and Citrus

• Berries. There are a wide range of varieties and colors, including blackberries, blueberries, huckleberries, raspberries and strawberries. Each have their own sweet, slightly tart flavor, and are perfect eat raw, added to salads, cooked for sauces and jams or baked into muffins and breads.
• Cherries. These juicy stone fruits come in popular varieties like Bing (deep red) and Rainier (yellow with blush tone). They’re great in salads, smoothies, jams and of course pies!
• Lemons. Lemon juice adds bright flavor to salad dressings, fish dishes, pasta, cocktails and let’s not forget dessert.
• Figs. Maybe you’re lucky enough to have figs in your area right now. They’re soft and sweet with a tender skin and seedy, jammy interior. They’re amazing eaten as-is, added to salads, cooked into jam, or baked, grilled or roasted. See my collection of fresh fig recipes to find out more about this luxurious fruit.
• Grapes. Crisp, juicy and bite-sized, grapes are the perfect fruit. They’re available in red, green, black and even gold colors, and each one has their own special flavor. They’re perfect for snacking, they make a great addition to cheese boards, and are a great way to jazz up salads.
• Melon. Varieties include cantaloupe, honey dew and watermelon, and each one is very sweet and refreshing. They’re high in water content and are perfect raw, in smoothies and work well in fruit salads.
• Stone fruit. Their name comes from having a pit or “stone” in the center. Varieties include apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches and plums. Each one is sweet and juicy, and are great eaten raw, in salads, used in smoothies, cooked for jam or used in pies, breads, muffins and more.