In this episode learn what fruit you should be looking out for in the grocery store or farmers market during the month of August. I will talk the best named fruit ever, local peaches, Cotton Candy grapes, and the beginning of the apple season.
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I got to make this bold statement. August is the best month of the year for fruit. I am going to tell you why.
But before we get started, if you are loving these fruit pick episodes, please let us know by contacting us at [email protected] or heading over to your favorite podcast player and leaving us a 5 star review. This helps support this podcast and I am grateful for your help. Alright let's get to the episode.
So what's so great about August. There is just so much going on in the fruit world.
Let's start with the harvest of the ever popular California grown Cotton Candy grapes. Yes, these grapes really do taste like Cotton Candy. You may find them on stores shelves from different parts of the world throughout the year, but nothing beats the Cotton Candy grapes grow by Grapery that you can find this month.
I am releasing a podcast episode right after this one that will tell you all about the grapes you can get from Grapery this year. Super exciting news, so you won't want to miss that.
Other grapes to look for include - Gum Drops and Thomcord grapes. Thomcords taste like a Concord grape but have no seeds. It's like eating grape juice!
It wouldn't be August if I didn't talk about peaches. This is when peaches are in season in the more northern states like Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Maine, Utah, etc. I have picked peaches in Michigan and Maine myself before and will be doing so in Utah this year. It doesn't get any better than picking them for yourself. If you live in one of these states, look for a place to pick peaches near you. Even if you don't pick them yourself, still get them directly from the farm and not the grocery store this month.
Two years ago, I was up in Maine during the wild blueberry season. Oh my, those blueberries are amazing. You don't find fresh ones very easily unless you are in Maine. With so many beautiful places to see like Acadia National Park and all the tasty seafood, it's so worth the trip. I would go back in a heartbeat.
The apple season is kicking off this month. Some early season ones to look for include Ginger Gold, Gravenstein, Rave, and Zestar. Not all stores will have these but if you find them, don't pass them up. For Ginger Gold, if the apples are more green, they will be more tart, if they are really bright yellow, they are likely too soft. Look for something in between. Next month we will enter into the peak of apple season.
Figs fan rejoice. This is your time. I think the best figs are yellow or green in color. My favorite being the Tiger fig. This fig is so fruity. I have found them at Trader Joe's in the past, so that is where I would begin my search.
Finally, I want to share about the fruit with the best name ever, the Flavor Grenade Pluot. How can you not buy this fruit with a name like that. Flavor will explode in your mouth as you bite into this firm pluot. You will recognize it as a green/yellow pluot with a red blush. It has more elongated shape. Not all stores will mention in by name in their signage which is such a shame with that awesome name.
August is the best month for pluots period with the largest variety of them being in stores during the month. I am sure you can find one that you will love.
🛒 Before You Checkout
What you need to know before you checkout at the grocery store or market:
Bringing any peaches home from the store or market in a plastic bag? Get them out of that as soon as you get home. I have a couple drawers that I use to store fruit in to ripen up. If you don't have that, then use a paper bag instead. And never put them in the fridge unless they are perfectly ripe and you have too many to eat.
If you want to try our hand at canning peaches, you want to do so in the 2nd half of August. That is usually when you will find freestone peaches. This mean the pit will easily come out of the fruit. It just makes processing the peaches that much easier.
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