Early summer is one of the most exciting times to shop at a farmers market or grocery store. The shelves and stands fill up with colorful fruits and vegetables that are bursting with flavor and freshness.
When produce is in season, it tastes so much better than what you find in the middle of winter. Now is the perfect time to load up your cart with the best picks of the season.
1. Strawberries
Nothing signals the start of summer quite like biting into a perfectly ripe strawberry. Early summer is peak season, which means these little red gems are sweeter, juicier, and more flavorful than anything you find in December.
Look for berries that are fully red with no white tips, as that is a sign they ripened on the plant. Enjoy them fresh, toss them in a salad, or blend them into a smoothie for a quick and delicious treat.
2. Sugar Snap Peas
Crunchy, sweet, and almost candy-like, sugar snap peas are a springtime-to-early-summer treasure that many people overlook at the produce stand. You can eat the whole pod, which makes snacking on them super easy and satisfying.
They are excellent raw with hummus or tossed quickly in a hot pan with garlic and olive oil. The key is to cook them fast so they keep that satisfying snap.
Grab them now before the summer heat makes them tough and starchy.
3. Cherries
Cherries have a famously short season, so when they show up at the market, it is time to act fast. Early summer brings the first sweet varieties, like Bing and Rainier, which are plump, glossy, and incredibly flavorful.
Fresh cherries are wonderful eaten by the handful, but they also shine in cobblers, salads, and even savory sauces for grilled meats. Fun fact: it takes about seven years for a cherry tree to produce its first full crop, making every bite feel a little more special.
4. Zucchini
Zucchini is the overachiever of the early summer garden. It grows fast, produces abundantly, and fits into just about any meal you can think of.
Early in the season, the squash are still small and tender, which is when they taste the absolute best.
Smaller zucchini have thinner skin, fewer seeds, and a sweeter flavor compared to the giant ones that show up later. Slice them thin for a quick saute, grill them with olive oil, or shred them into muffins for a sneaky veggie boost.
5. Blueberries
Blueberries are one of those fruits that seem almost too good to be true. They are sweet, packed with antioxidants, and incredibly versatile in the kitchen.
Early summer marks the beginning of blueberry season in many parts of the country, and the first batches are always worth celebrating.
Look for berries with a dusty blue-gray coating called the bloom, which is a natural sign of freshness. Toss them into pancakes, stir them into yogurt, or just eat them by the handful straight from the container.
6. Cucumbers
Cool, crisp, and incredibly refreshing, cucumbers are basically summer in vegetable form. When grown in season and harvested young, they have a delicate flavor and satisfying crunch that store-bought, out-of-season cucumbers simply cannot match.
Slice them into a salad with tomatoes and feta, or soak them in vinegar, salt, and dill for a quick refrigerator pickle. They are also fantastic just eaten with a pinch of salt as a snack.
Staying hydrated never tasted so good.
7. Garlic Scapes
If you have never seen garlic scapes before, they look like long, curly green stems and taste like a milder, fresher version of garlic. They only appear for a few short weeks in early summer, making them one of the most sought-after seasonal ingredients among home cooks and chefs alike.
Chop them up and use them anywhere you would use regular garlic. They are especially delicious blended into pesto or tossed into stir-fries.
Do not sleep on this fleeting seasonal gem.
8. Radishes
Radishes are one of the fastest-growing vegetables on the planet, and early summer brings some of the crispest and most colorful varieties to market. Their peppery bite adds a satisfying kick to salads, tacos, and grain bowls without any cooking required.
Slice them paper-thin for the most elegant presentation, or roast them in the oven to mellow out their spice and bring out a subtle sweetness. Even their leafy greens are edible and can be sauteed like spinach.
Radishes deserve way more credit than they get.
9. Beets
Earthy, sweet, and strikingly colorful, beets are at their best when harvested young in early summer. Baby beets are especially tender and have a naturally sweeter flavor than larger, older ones that have spent months in storage.
Roast them wrapped in foil until fork-tender, then peel and slice over goat cheese and arugula for a restaurant-worthy salad. Golden beets are a little milder and will not stain your hands bright pink, which is always a bonus in the kitchen.
10. Basil
Warm weather is basil weather, and early summer is when this aromatic herb really hits its stride. The leaves are large, intensely fragrant, and so full of flavor that even a small handful can transform a simple dish into something memorable.
Classic pesto is an obvious move, but fresh basil also works beautifully layered on a tomato and mozzarella plate or torn over pasta with olive oil. Keep your plant watered and pinch off any flowers to keep the leaves coming all season long.
11. Green Beans
There is a world of difference between fresh green beans picked at the peak of early summer and the canned or frozen versions most people grew up eating. Fresh beans snap cleanly when bent and have a bright, grassy flavor that pairs well with almost everything.
Blanch them quickly in boiling water and finish with butter and almonds for a simple side dish. They are also fantastic raw in salads or pickled with garlic and dill.
Early summer green beans are genuinely worth the extra effort to seek out.
12. Peaches
A perfectly ripe peach is one of summer's greatest gifts. When you bite into one and the juice runs down your arm, you know it is exactly the right moment to eat it.
Early summer peaches may not be at their absolute peak yet, but the first ones of the season still blow anything shipped from far away completely out of the water.
Look for peaches that give slightly when pressed and smell strongly sweet near the stem. Use them in cobblers, slice over ice cream, or just eat them fresh over the sink like nature intended.
13. Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi looks like something out of a science fiction movie, but do not let its alien appearance put you off. This unusual vegetable is part of the cabbage family and tastes like a milder, crunchier version of broccoli stems with a hint of sweetness.
Peel it and slice it raw into sticks for dipping, or shred it into a crunchy slaw with lime juice and cilantro. It is also great roasted or added to soups.
Early summer is prime time to find the most tender kohlrabi at local markets.
14. Apricots
Apricots have one of the shortest seasons of any summer fruit, which makes finding fresh ones at the market feel like a small victory. They are golden-orange, slightly fuzzy, and pack a sweet-tart flavor that dried apricots can only hint at.
Eat them fresh while you can, because the season is genuinely brief. They also make outstanding jam, pair beautifully with almonds in baked goods, and can be grilled alongside chicken or pork for a savory-sweet combination that feels surprisingly sophisticated for such a humble fruit.
15. Spinach
Spinach thrives in the cool shoulder season between spring and summer, which means early summer is actually your last chance to enjoy the most tender, mildest leaves before the heat makes them bolt and turn bitter. Baby spinach picked now has a delicate flavor and velvety texture that bigger, older leaves simply do not have.
Saute it with garlic in under five minutes for an easy side dish, or pack it into smoothies for a nutrient boost you can barely taste. Local spinach right now is genuinely excellent.
16. Fennel
Fennel is one of those vegetables that people either adore or have never actually tried. It has a mild, slightly sweet anise flavor that mellows significantly when cooked, making it approachable even for picky eaters.
Early summer fennel bulbs are crisp and fresh, with bright, feathery fronds that work as an herb in their own right.
Shave the raw bulb thin over a citrus salad, or roast wedges in the oven until caramelized and golden. The fronds make a beautiful garnish on fish dishes.
17. New Potatoes
New potatoes are young potatoes harvested early in the season before their skins have fully set. They are small, waxy, and have a creamy texture that holds up beautifully in salads and simple preparations.
Unlike starchy baking potatoes, these little guys are meant to be enjoyed as simply as possible.
Boil them until just tender, then toss with butter, fresh dill, and a pinch of flaky salt. That is genuinely all they need.
Finding new potatoes at a local farm stand right now is a true early summer highlight worth seeking out.
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