The Best Seasonal Fruits To Buy Fresh This Month: August Edition

Is there anything better than fresh summer fruit? After a sad winter season of sub-par berries and crunchy, bland melon, the produce section of the grocery store (or farmers market!) feels like a gold mine come August.

From strawberries and watermelons to peaches and pears, sun-ripened fruit is full of flavor and perfect for sweet and savory applications, or just enjoying all on its own. Throw stone fruit like peaches and plums on the grill, or pile fresh berries on ice cream or yogurt. And who can say no to prosciutto-wrapped melon slices? Plus, shopping for in-season produce is more affordable at the grocery store or farmers market than shelling out for raspberries in February. August's bounty is plentiful, easier to cultivate, and more likely to be grown locally instead of shipped from across the world — so it is tasty and also has a smaller carbon footprint!

There is a huge variety of fruit in-season in late summer. While some fruits are available year-round without sacrificing on quality (think bananas, which grow in climates that are ideal for banana production all year), some fruits are worth waiting until August to enjoy.

Peach lovers wait all year for these fuzzy stone fruits to reach their peak. Peaches are grown across the United States, with peak season arriving anywhere from May to September. Georgia is on the earlier end of the timeline, with peach season ending there in mid-August. Peach season in California and Colorado starts in late June and extends through September or October, respectively. There are even peach growers up north in Idaho, where harvest doesn't even start until August and runs through October.

While nectarines start popping up at grocery stores in late May or early June, they're at their best in August. Like peaches (which nectarines basically are, minus the fuzz), it takes warm weather and sunshine for the fruit to get its sweet taste and dark-red skin. Pick them too early and the flesh will be bland, even after the fruit has had time to soften.

Those looking for a treat with a tart kick should grab some plums this month, whether they're large and purple, tiny and green, or somewhere in-between. While different varieties hit their peak at different times, August is a great time for both European (oval-shaped) and Japanese (round) varieties. Mirabelle plums — a petite, yellow variety grown in France — should be hitting the farmers market too, and are ideal for jam-making or eating out of hand.

There's nothing as sad (or sour) as a blueberry in the winter, but as the weather warms, these gems become a real treat. Blueberries don't ripen any further after they're picked, so they need to stay on the bush until they're at their peak. Thankfully, a lot of varieties are in season all at once in August, so this is a great time to get your blueberry fix.

August is the best time to enjoy fresh blackberries. The berries have to ripen on the vine and are incredibly delicate once ripe (hello, bursting juices!), which makes them tricky to find or enjoy at other times of year. Opt for the farmers market over the grocery store, as the berries will be super fresh and won't have spent as much time in a crate getting jostled or crushed. Once you have the sweet, tart berries in-hand, enjoy them over ice cream or stir them into a refreshing blackberry Kentucky mule.

Raspberries are available throughout the summer, with peak season depending on the region and type of plant. Some varieties don't even ripen until October, so you can enjoy these bright berries until the leaves fall. In August, look for late-season berries that are more firm and complex. They should be bright and fragrant, but there shouldn't be juice all over the carton — we've all seen the havoc a single moldy raspberry can wreak on a full clamshell!

Nothing says "summer" quite like a cool slice of watermelon. It takes warmth and sunshine for these melons to hit their peak, with the best fruit available in July and August. August 3rd is National Watermelon Day for a reason! Look for a matte melon with a yellow patch on one side, where it sat in the field as it ripened. Tapping should produce a hollow, bouncy sound. Melon color and markings will vary by variety, but most grocery store melons should have dark, consistent stripes. For a juicy melon, pick one that feels heavy for its size.

We've all had bland, mealy cantaloupe, and August is the time to erase it from your memory. While true cantaloupes aren't actually grown in the United States, the muskmelons that we call cantaloupes are still delicious — especially in late summer. They need moisture to grow, but ripen best when the weather is hot and dry. Cantaloupes are ripe when the skin beneath the veining is beige (not green) and the fruit is fragrant. Check your farmers market for heirloom varieties, such as Colorado's Rocky Ford melons that thrive in the area's hot days and cool nights.

There are a huge number of melons beyond just watermelon and cantaloupe, and August is the perfect time to try them all. Crenshaw melons are oval-shaped, with wrinkly rinds, pale-orange flesh, and a rich, sweet flavor. Lemon drop melons are a hybrid with a high citric acid content, which gives the flesh a flavor like honeydew mixed with lemon candy.

While table grapes are available in grocery stores year-round, these fruits do in fact have a season just like their wine-making brethren. Instead of generic grapes, now is the time to look for specific varieties. August is the beginning of Concord grape season, as well as sweet and musky Muscat grapes (the same ones used to make moscato!). Peak-season grapes will be juicy and full of flavor, a far cry from the tart lunchbox staple you see in winter.

Cherry season stretches from April in California to August in the Northeast, meaning there's fruit to be had all summer long. The season for each region and variety is quite short, so when you see your favorite type of cherry, stock up! In August, enjoy the tail-end of the Pacific Northwest's cherry season, along with those grown in the Northeastern states. Can't eat them all? Here's how to freeze fresh cherries — future you says, "Thank you."

Apples may bring to mind school days and fall afternoons at the orchard, but some varieties are ripe for the picking (literally) in August. There are a few early season varieties to look for. Gala are more widely available, and have a sweet and mild flavor beneath streaky red skin. Ginger Gold is a little more tart, and bonus: They don't brown as quickly as other varieties once cut. The Jersey Mac is more tart, similar to a Macintosh, with particularly tender flesh. These may not all pop up at your grocery store, so be sure to check end-of-summer farmers markets.

Pear lovers, rejoice! August marks the beginning of pear season, when varieties like Summercrisp, Pineapple, and Sunrise are ripe and ready for picking. Toward the end of August, Bartlett pears will be soft and sweet (depending on the growing region), and Asian pears like the Hoshui and Chojuro will also start to show up in stores. More of a D'Anjou person? Those firmer green or red pears aren't ready yet, but will be perfect roasted in your fall desserts.

Unlike some of summer's more short-lived fruit seasons, fig season stretches from late spring all the way to November. Black Mission and Brown Turkey figs are the most prolific, but August is the perfect time to look for green-skinned varieties like Calimyrna. The Calimyrna fig is unique because it needs to be pollinated by tiny fig wasps to produce fruit. It has yellow-green skin and strawberry-scented flesh, plus lots of crunchy seeds. And if you miss fresh Calimyrna season, you're in luck — the fruits are so delicate that they are more often dried and sold as smyrna figs.