Harvest These 6 Fruits & Veggies this August

August has arrived! While summer days might be running out, fresh produce options certainly are not. The next time you find yourself in a grocery store, farmers market, or even your own garden, keep an eye out for some of these seasonal fruits and vegetables. ​

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Tomatoes: It is hard to beat the flavor of summer tomatoes. A ripe tomato should be mostly firm, have a shiny skin, and have a deep red color (unless the tomato species is normally a different color).

​If you are collecting from your own garden, they should come right off the vine when pulled gently.  ​

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Raspberries & Blackberries: Small and delicious, these berries are perfect for both desserts and on-hand snacking.

​Remember: raspberries and blackberries do not ripen after being picked, so when harvesting, look for ones with smooth intact skin and even coloring. What you pick is what you get!

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Aubergines: Aubergines, more commonly known as eggplant, make a tasty addition to any summer menu. Be sure to pick out ones with taut, glossy skin, consistent deep purple coloring, and a bright green stem and cap. Yum!

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Apricots: The sweet, slightly tart taste of fresh apricots makes them a delicious summer treat. When an apricot is ready to eat, it is usually a little larger than a golf ball with smooth, rosy orange-colored skin.  

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Cucumbers: Cool and refreshing in the summer heat, good cucumbers should look dark green in color and feel firm. Avoid any that are easy to bend or have spongy areas - they are overripe and will taste bitter. ​

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Peaches: There is nothing like the fragrant scent of ripe peaches in the air! Farmer Al from Frog Hollow Farm says that healthy peaches should be golden pink on the outside with just a few wrinkles around the stem area and relatively soft on the outside.

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Brown Sugar Baked Peaches

Source: The Kitchen is My Playground

This simple dessert will fast become a family favorite! All you need are:

• A few peaches,
• 1 tablespoon salted butter,
• 2 tablespoon of brown sugar, and 
• ½ teaspoon of cinnamon.

The first step is to preheat the oven to 370°F.  Then clean your peaches well. We recommend a veggie wash, such as our Vegetable Wash All Natural Soap.  

While the oven is still warming up, cut the peaches in halves and pull out the pit.  Put a little chunk of butter in the middle of each half. Then, mix the cinnamon and sugar together and shower it over the peaches.

Bake for 9-10 minutes. Once they are done, top them off with some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

​Yum yum!!

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Hope you enjoy your harvested fruits and veggies!