The Ultimate Summer Fruit Guide
Strawberries
When you taste a ripe early-summer strawberry, it’s like discovering a whole new species of berry. Strawberries come in many sizes; you can find long-stemmed berries for dipping or small ones perfect for eating whole. Fraise des bois are miniature, wild, woodland strawberries, less than an inch long, and are extraordinarily sugary and floral. Ripe strawberries have a uniform deep red color. White or green tops indicate unripe fruit (strawberries don’t ripen once picked). Look for plump berries with fresh, green leafy caps. Avoid baskets with moldy soft berries, or red stains (a sign of squished fruit). If your fruit is very delicate, spread it out on a plate and keep covered with a paper towel or plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Blueberries
These gorgeous little berries are on many folks’ radar these days — not only do they taste great; they are really good for you. Rich in healthy antioxidants, they are embraced as a “super food”; by conscious eaters. These American natives, which look like small marbles with a mini crown, are in season from mid summer through early fall. Dried blueberries are available year round, have a concentrated flavor and are a great portable snack. Look for plump uniform berries. Avoid baskets with green or wizened berries, or blue stains (a sign of squished fruit). A shiny white bloom on the berries is completely normal and actually a sign of freshness. Blueberries don’t have much of an aroma, so a taste test is a good idea to confirm full flavor. Refrigerate berries in covered containers; the open containers they are often sold in aren’t always ideal for storing. Wash berries with cool water in a colander just before using.
caps. Avoid baskets with moldy soft berries, or red stains (a sign of squished fruit). If your fruit is very delicate, spread it out on a plate and keep covered with a paper towel or plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Cherries
These cheerful oh-so-summery fruits fall into three categories — sweet, sour or middling sweet-and-sour. Common sweet varieties are the deep burgundy Bing or two-toned Rainier and are naturals for eating fresh out of hand. Pitted cherries can be tossed in fruit salads, flambéed with rum or brandy, or baked in cobblers, custards, and of course pies. The dusky red sour cherry has a short season (up to four weeks in good years) around mid-July. Raw, their complex tart flavor is an acquired taste, but cooked they are perfect for pies and preserves. Varieties like Montmorency and meteor bridge the sweet-tart gap. If unsure which camp a cherry falls into, snag a taste before buying. Buy cherries that look plump, are free of cracking, splitting or blemishes, and choose those with supple green stems, if you can. All red varieties should have a deep uniform color. Fresh cherries should be refrigerated and eaten within a couple days of purchase.
Peaches
The perfect summer peach embodies everything good about eating local foods in season. When you get really, really great peaches, their fleshy, juicy sweetness is nearly impossible to resist. Luckily, it’s now getting even easier to find different varieties such as yellow, white-fleshed, or donut-shaped ones. Select peaches free of bruises or marks that give to gentle pressure in the palm of your hand. Those that are just shy of ripeness can be left on the counter in a paper bag to ripen for a day or two. Avoid any that have a green under-color on their blushing skins, as well as those that are rock-hard; they’ll never ripen properly. Store ripe fruit in the crisper in the refrigerator.
Blackberries
A good blackberry, which looks like a plump cluster of inky bubbles, is sweet with a pleasant pucker. This family of berries encompasses over 100 varieties, such as marionberries, loganberries, boysenberries, and olallieberries. Blackberries run the gamut from pinky-sized minis to thumb-sized fat ones. Eat berries at their peak — July and August — for best flavor. Look for berries which are dark, plump, free of mold or damage. Avoid those that have either the stem caps or a reddish cast — signs they were picked too early. Check cartons’ sides and bottoms for juice stains, a sign of poor handling. As with all berries, try to use within a day of purchase (or picking). Refrigerate berries in covered containers and wash with cool water in a colander just before using. If you have a bumper crop, freeze them: Spread berries out on a paper towel-lined pan, freeze until firm, then transfer to sealed plastic bags and store for up to six months. Thawed berries are perfect for sauces, smoothies and in baked recipes.
Summer Melons
Summer melons, lush and sweet, are a real pleasure after months of uninspiring, out-of-season fruit. (There are actually two melon seasons, summer and winter.) Summer varieties include the well-known American cantaloupe, esteemed Charentais and Cavillion, and juicy, almost spicy, muskmelons. Winter varieties include honeydew, Casaba, and the aptly named Christmas melon. When buying melons, compare the weight of a few and choose the heavier one, it will be juicier. All ripe summer melons should be firm but not hard, and have a nice floral smell. Avoid melons with cracks, soft spots, and moldy stems. Knock on the melon like you would on a door; if it sounds deep and thick, it’s ripe. Melons do not ripen or become sweeter once they are picked. Store whole melons at room temperature for 2 to 4 days, wrap well and refrigerate after cutting.
