Seasonal Foods for SummerDonna L. Long

Shadbush (Serviceberry) berries from the tree in my garden.

Summer foods are fresh and simple. It is easy to eat whole healthy foods from local growers with farmer’s markets nearby. In Philadelphia, we have farmer’s markets all over the city. The markets include produce grown and sold by the actual growers. We have several farmers here in the city with csa (community-supported agriculture) programs.

As a gardener, I love the buzz of my garden on a warm summer afternoon. What my gardening grandparents always taught me is that, “plants want to grow”. We don’t make they grow. they are alive and grow all on their own. We want them to grow in a certain place, like our gardens, we just need to give them what they need, protect them and they will do the rest. If you would like to try growing some of your own food, I recommend the Square Foot Gardening Method. It is the method I use in my garden and it is very simple.

From those who shop at farmers’ markets and want to eat locally and in harmony with the seasons, here is a list of the foods that are in season in summer. This is the third food list of this year. It provides food information in the creation of a local seasonal round.

More Seasonal Food Lists

Seasonal Foods for Winter

Seasonal Foods for Spring

Seasonal Food for Autumn

Permaculture; A Good Idea?

Seasonal Rounds: Charting Living in Harmony with the Land

To learn more about seasonality lists and what is in season now, visit CUESA.

Summer Seasonal Foods

Vegetables

bamboo shoots
beans – cranberry, lava, lima, green
bok choy
celery
chard
chickpeas, fresh
chilis, poblano
corn
cucumbers
eggplants
kohlrabi
mushrooms – porcini, chicken of the woods
okra
onions – red, Vidalia
peppers – bell
squash, summer (soft rind varieties – patty pan, yellow, zucchini)
tomatillos
tomatoes
zucchini blossoms