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Home » Eat what's in season » The practical produce guide: July 2024

The practical produce guide: July 2024

March 10, 2025

I made this summer produce guide to help you enjoy fruits & vegetables that are in season throughout the month. Both July and August are the best months for fresh produce with most summer fruits and vegetables at their peak flavor.

Jump to:
  • July seasonal produce list
  • Fruits in July
  • July vegetable season
  • Other seasonal guides?

July seasonal produce list

Ideally, you can find the sweetest watermelons, the most flavorful tomatoes, and the most buttery corn at a local farmers market.

If you do end up with some bland produce, I've still got you covered. It happens, and most of the time a subpar fruit or vegetable can still be rescued. Tomatoes can be roasted with olive oil and herbs. Watermelons can be sprinkled with a chile lime salt or turned into an aqua fresca. Corn can absorb a smoked flavor from the grill then slathered in an herb butter.

I'll cover the top level, most practical tips for produce in season this month. For more information and recipes, check out the guide dedicated to each specific fruit and vegetable.

Fruits

  • Cherries
  • Strawberries
  • Blueberries
  • Blackberries
  • Raspberries
  • Apricots
  • Peaches
  • Nectarines
  • Plums
  • Figs
  • Grapes
  • Melons

Vegetables

  • Tomatoes
  • Corn
  • Bell peppers
  • Hot peppers
  • Zucchini & summer squash
  • Eggplant
  • Green beans
  • Cucumbers
  • Peas
  • Sweet onions
  • Rhubarb (last of the season)
A chart of fruit in season during July

Fruits in July

Softer fruit like strawberries, raspberries, peaches (etc), have to be picked while still hard to survive transport and storage to your local grocery store. Once picked, these fruits stop developing flavor but will still soften and turn color. This makes it really difficult to pick out a good tasting, fully tree (or vine) ripened fruit.

When you can't trust what you see, use your nose. The better they smell, the better they will taste. It's also worth a trip to a farmers market to take advantage of the abundance of fruit available in July. Most farmers offer samples - the best way to ensure you're spending money on a good tasting fruit.

Cherries

"Cherry pie on the 4th of July" became a common summer phrase for a good reason - it's peak cherry season.

Cherry season is actually quite short and July is usually the peak of their locally grown availability, disappearing quickly toward the end of the month. In the heart of Midwest's cherry region, the Traverse Cherry Festival in Michigan happens over the 4th of July weekend.

Because cherries ship well, they'll be available later in summer at grocery stores. They'll still have a decent flavor (unlike berries that are picked unripe and are often disappointingly bland when shipped cross country).

Sour cherries are great for pies and are generally available in June & July where they are grown. They have a small growing region and most of the national producers are in Michigan and Wisconsin.

  • Cherries are in season from mid-spring to mid-summer. Pick the best ones and store them right with these tips (and recipes!)
    Cherries
  • A sour cherry tart with almond cream on a table.
    Sour cherry tart with almond cream & a french cookie crust
  • sweet and sour cherries on a table to promote cherry recipes
    50 cherry recipes to catch your interest (cheese plates & pies to salads & steak)
  • Sweet and tart sour cherry pies on a table
    Cherry pie: are sweet or sour cherries best?

Blueberries

July is also peak blueberry season. Ripe blueberries are highly perishable, so the farmers market will have more flavorful berries this month. Unripe berries will show hints of red or green, but they'll turn to a solid blue after a few days.

Even though blueberries continue to change color after harvest, they won't get any sweeter or more flavorful. This makes the quality hard to determine without a taste test.

Luckily, blueberries grow well in most parts of the US, making them easy to find at farmers markets across the country. Farmers market blueberries taste much better than grocery store options, but home grown blows them all away!

Blueberries on a paper towel, stains show deterioration

While grocery stores routinely offer blueberries discounted to $1.99, farmers market berries can be pricey. Taste test them if you can and then take care of them when you bring them home so they don't go to waste.

If you don't eat the blueberries right away, just make sure to store them well. Store them in a single layer, on a tray lined with paper towel. A blueberry that's gone bad or started to decompose will ooze purple juice onto the paper towel. This makes them easy to spot so you can remove those individual berries while preserving the rest of them.

Browse the recipes below or a collection of 75 blueberry recipes.

  • Blueberry syrup in a jar, on top of a pile of fresh blueberries.
    Blueberry syrup recipe (with canning instructions)
  • A blueberry cheesecake bar cut in half to show the cream cheese filling and graham cracker crust. Set on top of fresh blueberries.
    Blueberry cheesecake bars with graham cracker crust
  • A picture of blueberry muffins in the tin
    Blueberry swirl muffins
  • A summer Cobb salad recipe with chicken, bacon, eggs, cheese, tomatoes, zucchini, corn, and blueberries
    Summer Cobb salad with corn & blueberries

Blackberries

Fully ripe blackberries are sweet and flavorful, especially when they are at their peak in July and August. Their season extends into early fall, sometimes all the way into October.

When blackberries are harvested too early, before they have a chance to fully ripen, they often taste bitter. Seek them out at a farmers market for your best chance at getting high quality, vine ripened blackberries this month.

If the ones you have end up tasting bitter, you can try a few things to fix them: add sugar, fat, salt, or simply cook them to break down some of the bitter compounds.

  • Blackberries in season from late spring through mid fall
    Blackberries
  • 2 blackberries, close up
    Why blackberries are bitter & how to fix it
  • Ripe blackberries in a bowl on a purple napkin
    Blackberry recipes: from cocktails to BBQs

Raspberries

Raspberries are at their most popular in this US in July, when they are at peak production throughout the entire month.

They are probably the most fragile and perishable summer fruit, spoiling faster than all other berries. To combat this, try buying them in the morning at a farmers market when the weather is cooler. A hot July afternoon can quickly reduce the shelf life of harvested raspberries.

When you return home, put the raspberries in the fridge immediately. Ideally, spread them out on a paper towel-lined plate (like blueberries), which will catch any juices and slow down mold formation. Ripe raspberries will last 24 hours in the fridge, or up to a few days if you are lucky.

Raspberry flavor pairings & recipes
Raspberry recipes perfect for June: pair them with white chocolate, coffee, lemon, lime - the list goes on!
Check it out
Raspberries in a container

Peaches, plums & nectarines

People in warmer climates have been enjoying locally grown stone fruits for a month now. For the rest of us, July is our opportunity to buy locally grown stone fruits like apricots, peaches, plums, and nectarines.

A large variety of stone fruits exist, some are planted because they ripen early, while others ripen late. This helps farmers (and backyard growers) extend the season.

However, stone fruits tend to taste better as their season progresses. In general, varieties that ripen later have more flavor. Just like with apples, the earlier season varieties tend to be lighter on flavor.

Fully ripened peaches and nectarines are incredibly fragile. They bruise with the slightest touch and the skin easily breaks open. I grow them myself and can see how it would be practically impossible for even a market farmer to provide ones this ripe.

When at the farmers market, ask for a sample before buying - many offer free samples. Try to refrain from squeezing them to determine ripeness. Even a gentle squeeze will bruise the fruit for the next person that might buy it. Instead, ask the farmer to pick out some ripe ones or buy what you see and they will soften on the counter within a day or two.

  • Peaches are in season from late spring through mid fall
    Peaches
  • Nectarines are in season from late spring into early fall
    Nectarines
  • Plums are in season from late spring into mid-fall
    Plums
  • Apricots in season
    Apricots
  • dozens of fresh peaches ready
    75+ peach recipes & flavor pairings
  • Difference between peaches and nectarines
    Substituting nectarines & peaches: what's the difference?
  • santa rosa plums - to be used in recipes
    Plum recipes: from pies to chicken wings
  • apricot pairings: blackberries, nuts, and basil
    Apricot recipes: floral, nutty, berry, and corny

Watermelons, cantaloupe, and honeydew

Every year I impatiently wait for the first seasonal melons to show up. They start to appear in June from warmer climates, but tend to not have much flavor by the time they are shipped to the Midwest where I currently live.

But throughout July, melons start to ripen across most of the country. There are a few tricks to try to pick out melons that were fully ripened on the vine.

Watermelon are the hardest to assess, but look for the lighter spot on the bottom. That's where it sat on the ground. If it's fairly pale and white, it was picked too early. If it's more of a warm creamy or yellow color, it was left to ripen longer on the vine.

Cantaloupe are the easiest to pick out for flavor. First, it should smell sweet and floral - the better it smells, the better it should taste.

Next, look at the stem end - cantaloupes actually detach from the vine when they ripen. If there is a slight indent where the stem would have been, it is a sign it stayed on the vine longer and naturally detached itself. On the other hand, if you see an actual stem or it looks like it was cut off from the vine, that means it was picked before it fully ripened.

Lastly, choose a cantaloupe that has more golden hues under the webbing pattern. Similar to the spot on the watermelon, the more golden the hue, the longer it was left to ripen on the vine. A pale or greenish hue indicates it was picked early.

Honeydew should also smell sweet and floral, which will be most noticeable at the stem end. The rind should be matte (not shiny) and have a creamy or slightly yellow hue. Also rub the rind with your fingers - it should feel a little bit tacky or waxy. If it feels really smooth, it was picked too early.

Currants

If you're interested in farmers market-exclusive fruits, keep an eye out for currants starting this month. They have a 2-3 week harvest window depending on the variety, found from June through August.

July fruit guides

The guides below provide practical tips and recipes for all of the fruit in season in July. I didn't cover all of them specifically in this article, so be sure to check out the other available fruits, including figs, grapes, and melons.

Apricots in season
Apricots
Blackberries in season from late spring through mid fall
Blackberries
Blueberries are in season in late spring through summer
Blueberries
Cherries are in season from mid-spring to mid-summer. Pick the best ones and store them right with these tips (and recipes!)
Cherries
currants in season on stems
Currants
Ripe figs in season
Figs
Red and green grapes in season
Grapes
Nectarines are in season from late spring into early fall
Nectarines
Peaches are in season from late spring through mid fall
Peaches
Pink pineberries in season
Pineberries
Plums are in season from late spring into mid-fall
Plums
Raspberries are in season from late spring into fall
Raspberries
Strawberries are in season from mid-spring through summer and into early-fall.
Strawberries
Sour cherries when in season in summer
Tart (sour) cherries
Watermelons, cantaloupe, and honeydew melons in season
Watermelons, cantaloupe, and honeydew melons

July vegetable season

Summer vegetables are in peak season throughout July and continue into next month. It's worth buying tomatoes from a local source or farmers market for better flavor. Peppers, on the other hand, ship really well so you will find high quality even at a grocery store.

Cucumbers can be bitter in July if the weather is routinely hot and dry. Look for English or Persian cucumbers, which are often not bitter at all. Green bell peppers can also be more bitter than usual this month.

A chart of vegetables in season during July

Corn

Backyard barbeques in July always have grilled corn on the cob for a reason. They are at peak seasonality this month with a good flavor and a creamy texture.

The old saying that you should "have a pot of water boiling before you pick your corn" applied to the old types of corn. This is because the old varieties of corn convert half of their sugar to starch within 24 hours of harvest.

On the other hand, modern varieties of corn start with 2-3 times more sugar in the first place which converts to starch very slowly. Their quality can last a week or more in your fridge. The tradeoff is more sugar for less corn flavor.

Only the modern corn varieties are available to buy, both at grocery stores and at farmers markets. If you want that old timey corn flavor, you'll have to grow it yourself, or hunt around for a specialty seller. If that interests you, look for "Standard (su)" corn.

When buying fresh corn, look for ones with fresh husks that aren't dried out. That indicates the corn is fresher. Black spots on the husks are normal and don't affect the quality of the corn. The silks will likely be brown, which is also normal as this happens when they become ready to harvest.

If the tips of the cobs are missing kernels, that is totally okay and not an indication of quality. It just means the last of the corn silks didn't get pollinated.

Different types of corn
This article gets into the weeds a bit as I explain the different types of corn. Feel free to geek out with me!
Check it out
Sweet corn varieties & seeds: golden bantham (su), sugar buns (se), and Sweetness (sh2)

Zucchini & summer squash

Zucchini have to be the most abundant, affordable, and versatile summer vegetables. In July, home growers start to get overrun with zucchini and a friendly neighbor might be dropping some off. If someone in your neighborhood has them in their garden, let them know you'll take some off their hands - they'll be thrilled to find a happy home for them.

Zucchini is a type of summer squash and the most types are interchangeable in recipes. They can be stuffed, grilled, turned into a soup, and even made into pickles.

Try a new zucchini recipe this month to take advantage of the abundant and inexpensive vegetable.

  • Stuffed zucchini boats - recipes to use up zucchini
    100 zucchini recipes to celebrate its versatility
  • A zucchini bread loaf next to garden zucchini and summer squash
    20 Zucchini bread recipes (& other baked goods)
  • What to do with a lot of zucchini: make 3 soups in 2 hours, or make quiches and quick breads.
    5 recipes that use up A LOT of zucchini
  • Zucchini quiche with garden zucchini
    Zucchini quiche with cheddar & herbs

Tomatoes

Tomato season is ramping up this month and cherry tomatoes are abundant and flavorful. Larger tomatoes are also available in July but reach peak product next month.

The flavor of tomatoes can be hit or miss, but they're more consistently flavorful from the farmers market. That's because market vendors are able to let the tomatoes ripen longer on the vine since they don't need to withstand shipping or have an unnaturally long shelf life.

Bland tomatoes can be cooked down into a thick sauce or roasted in the oven with herbs to concentrate their flavor. If tomatoes are too acidic, try mixing them with a lower acid vegetable like zucchini or eggplant.

  • Tomatoes
  • A bowl of Italian tomato zucchini soup on a table with eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes.
    Italian tomato, zucchini, and eggplant soup
  • A bowl of roasted tomato soup topped with fresh basil leaves
    Tomato soup with fresh tomatoes & basil
  • Fregola pasta with fresh vegetables.
    Pasta with fresh tomatoes, corn, and peppers

Bell peppers & other sweet peppers

Sweet peppers are categorized as not having capsaicin or very little of it. Capsaicin is the compound that gives hot peppers their heat.

Most peppers ship and store well, so we are able to enough to enjoy them throughout the year thanks to imports from the southern hemisphere. But when they are abundant at local farmers markets in July (for most of the country, or earlier in hot climates), I try to use them as a featured ingredient in recipes.

Green bell peppers are unripe orange, yellow, red, or even purple peppers. Because they aren't fully ripe, they have a more vegetable and sometimes bitter flavor. When allowed to ripen, their flavor sweetens and develops hints of citrus.

Look for other sweet pepper varieties this month. One of my favorite summer peppers are Jimmy Nardellos, perfect for pizza. You might find them at a farmers market, but not likely at a grocery store.

  • Chopped bell peppers
    Bell pepper recipes
  • Bell peppers are in season in summer and last through fall
    Dealing with bitter bell peppers

July vegetable produce guides

Almost all summer produce is at peak production and flavor in July, which continues into next month. For more tips and recipes, check out the other guides for what's in season this month.

When is corn in season
Corn
Cucumbers are in season in summer. Learn how to pick cucumbers and store them, along with seasonal recipes
Cucumbers
Eggplants are in season during summer and into fall.
Eggplant
Fresh green beans in season
Green beans
Spicy peppers are in season in late summer
Hot peppers
Sugar snap and shelling peas are in season in spring, summer and fall. Get more info on picking the best ones, storing them and of course, recipes.
Peas
Rhubarb is in season from April through July.
Rhubarb
Bell peppers are in season in summer and last through fall
Sweet & bell peppers
sweet onions (vidalia, walla walla), in season
Sweet onions
Tomatoes
Eat in season - summer squash and zucchini are in season starting around June.
Zucchini & other summer squash

Other seasonal guides?

Check out the seasonal produce guide for August to see what's coming up soon, or what might still be around from June.

Produce & recipe guide for October
Seasonal guides
Get the month-by-month list of seasonal produce
Check it out
Apples in season, on a wood table

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About the Food Geek

Welcome, I'm Veronica, your resident food geek - experienced recipe developer and gardener. My goal is to help you enjoy eating at home by knowing what fruits & vegetables are currently in season and the best ways to use them. To do that, I've put together seasonal produce guides and recipes with practical advice.

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