Best In-Season Produce: June

Ava Scarpato, Rejuvenan Nutrition Team

Shopping for in-season produce offers multiple benefits, not the least of which being that it enables you to discover how different some fruits and vegetables taste when harvested during their peak. This June, grab all the opportunities you can to incorporate fresh, delicious produce into meals and snacks while simultaneously supporting local farms and communities by shopping in season.

Additional benefits of in-season shopping include a lower grocery bill and the fact that planning meals and snacks around seasonal foods encourages variety and adventurous eating while increasing the vibrancy, nutrient-density and flavor in your diet.

In Part 10 of our 12-part series highlighting in-season fruits and vegetables by month, let’s look at the produce that peaks during the month of June.

Why “In-Season?”

“In-season” produce includes fruits and vegetables that are purchased and consumed as close as possible to the time at which they are harvested. The practice of buying produce in-season is gaining popularity as it offers multiple benefits, such as high quality nutrition, lower price, enhanced flavor, and support for local businesses.

Eating produce that coincides with its season of harvest is an easy way to infuse the diet with potent vitamins and antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables that fully mature on their parent plant and are then harvested at peak ripeness, which imbues them with more rich and complex flavors.

In a study comparing bioactive compounds and antioxidant levels in different types of berries, it was found that greater antioxidant levels were associated with berries that were ripe to overripe. Antioxidants are chemical compounds that protect the body’s cells against free radical damage. Free radicals are unstable molecules formed during natural body processes, such as the breakdown of food, and when the body is exposed to pollutants, such as tobacco smoke. When foods are grown out of season, artificial lights and greenhouses are often used to manipulate growing conditions, which can lead to fruits and vegetables that lack color and flavor comparatively, due to the controlled environment and size constraints of smaller growing spaces.

Because fruits and vegetables are composed of 70–90% water, rapid rates of respiration result in nutrient degradation once the produce is separated from its source of nutrients, such as trees and vines. This means that out-of-season produce that is shipped long distances may suffer from the implications of the degradation of nutrients such as vitamin C.

Buying in-season produce is also a simple way to save money on healthy food. The abundant and readily available supply of in-season produce allows for lower costs and easier access. Stocking up on in-season produce at local farmers markets and freezing and/or storing the extra for later is a great way to make your seasonal purchases last.

Small businesses, such as farmers markets and local orchards commonly sell local produce harvested by nearby farms; the shorter the distance that produce has to travel to the store in which it’s sold, the fresher it will be when it reaches your table. When unsure about the origins of an item, it’s perfectly acceptable to ask your grocer for more information about where the item was grown.

June’s Top Produce Picks

If you’re ready to incorporate in-season produce during the month of June, here are some in-season fruits and vegetables to look for along with some suggestions that will make preparing the produce easy and delicious:

Asparagus:

Asparagus is a green vegetable that’s recognized for its long, pointy spears and bitter, earthy taste. Garden asparagus, otherwise known as Asparagus officinalis, is an herbaceous perennial plant that is a member of the lily family. The small spears at the top of this vegetable are actually young shoots of the plant that, if left to grow, become large, feathery fern-like plants. While asparagus plants grow throughout the world, the biggest producers are China, Peru, Germany and the United States as they thrive in temperate climates where the ground freezes. Growing asparagus does require significant patience, as it can take 3–4 years to produce edible spears once the seeds have been planted.

The leaves of asparagus are extremely rich in flavonoids, which are a diverse group of phytonutrients that help regulate cellular activity and fight off free radicals that cause oxidative stress on the body. In other words, they help the body function more efficiently while protecting it against everyday toxins and stressors. Asparagus also has anti-microbial properties protecting against human pathogenic isolates and cytotoxic activities.

Asparagus can be cooked many different ways, though roasting, grilling, steaming, boiling and pan-roasting are the most common. Thicker spears are better used for roasting, grilling, stir-frying and eating raw in salads. Though whether thin or thick, be sure to thoroughly wash and trim asparagus before cooking.

Avocado:

Avocados, also known as alligator pears or butter fruit have skyrocketed in consumption over the past 20 years. In 2020, it was estimated that imports of avocados reached a record 2.1 billion pounds, in part because of dining limitations and increases in grocery store shopping. An increase in avocado consumption is great news because of its plethora of health benefits.

The vitamins, minerals and healthy fats that avocados provide are protective against health concerns such as arthritis, osteoporosis, high blood pressure and certain types of cancer. Avocado’s high content of folate has been shown to lower the risk of prostate and colon cancers. Nutrients in avocados have been found to reduce pain and stiffness while improving joint function, resulting in decreased dependence on analgesics. Similar to bananas, avocados are rich in potassium which helps to regulate blood pressure by normalizing sodium levels in the blood and easing tension in the blood vessel walls.

Though color isn’t the best indicator of avocado ripeness, it is easy to determine the ripeness of an avocado by cradling it in the palm of your hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. If it feels slightly soft, it’s ready to be eaten. Avoid avocados that feel mushy or have dents and dips in the skin.

Blueberries:

Blueberries are small, juicy fruits of the genus Vaccinium that’s known for its sweet and tangy flavor. The plants produce clusters of small flowers that range in color from white to light pink. The berries that grow from this plant are deep blue with many internal seeds. Blueberries grow best in highly acidic and well-drained soils in cool climates like Michigan, Oregan, Washington, Maine and New Jersey, though the southern rabbiteye variation of the plant can tolerate higher temperatures and is grown in the southern United States.

Recent research on the health benefits of blueberries shows that blueberries contain a large number of phytochemicals, including anthocyanins, which are a type of antioxidant found naturally in foods and give red, purple and blue plants their rich color. Studies note that of all of the phytochemicals found in blueberries, anthocyanins make the greatest impact on the fruit’s health functionality. Researchers are associating regulat, moderate intake of blueberries with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, death, and type 2 diabetes and with improved weight maintenance as well as brain protection. Phytochemicals found in this nutrient powerhouse may be positively affecting gastrointestinal microflora as well, supporting gut health.

Cucumber:

By botanical classification, cucumbers are considered a fruit because they are a seed-bearing product that grow from the ovary of a flowering plant. On the other hand, a vegetable, in botanical terms, is a more generalized term encompassing all of the edible aspects of a plant. By culinary classification, a cucumber is a vegetable thanks to its tough texture, bland taste and cooking requirements. Either way, cucumbers offer a host of health benefits.

The cucumber is a part of the Cucurbitaceae family with other vegetables like melon and squash. With its extremely high water content, cucumbers have antidiabetic, lipid lowering and antioxidant activity. Studies show that cucumbers cleanse the body by helping to remove waste materials and toxins that have accumulated. Cucumbers are also a source of glycosides, bioactive peptides, vitamines, minerals, collagens and amino acids. Research has shown that this vegetable has medicinal value in wound healing, neuroprotection, and antioxidation.

Garlic:

Garlic is the edible bulb from a plant within the lily family, traditionally used for medicinal purposes around the world. Today, garlic has become one of the most commonly used ingredients in savory, flavorful dishes, sold fresh, as a powder, or an oil. If bought fresh, you’ll find that the garlic is composed of individual sections called cloves that are covered in a thin skin that should be removed before cooking.

There are two primary varieties of garlic to choose from. Softneck garlic, otherwise known as Allium sativum, is the most common variety seen in grocery stores. Softneck garlic tends to produce more cloves than its counterpart and has a subtle taste. Hardneck garlic, or Allium ophioscorodon, has a bold, spicy garlic flavor and is most often found at farmers’ markets.

Garlic has been used medicinally for centuries, but most recently for its cardiovascular, antineoplastic and antimicrobial properties. In the root bulb of the plant, researchers have found sulfur compounds, like allicin. Studies have found that there are significant lipid-lowering effects and antiplatelet activity of garlic.

Incorporate garlic into your diet by experimenting with Rejuvenan’s Greek Oven Briami.

Greek Oven Briami

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant, small, chopped
• 1 15.5 oz. can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 onion, large
• 8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 small head broccoli, florets separated and stem thinly sliced
• 1 large leek, washed thoroughly and sliced into rounds
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium green pepper, seeded, stemmed and chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, chopped, with their juices
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
• 3/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
• 1/2 cup white wine (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the garlic and onion until softened and fragrant.
2. Add the potatoes, bell pepper, tomatoes and tomato juice, garbanzo beans, carrots, leek, eggplant, olives, broccoli, dill, half of the parsley, pepper and wine (if using).
3. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and transfer Dutch oven into the oven to bake for 1 hour until juicy.
4. Remove cover and bake for an additional 30 minutes until vegetables are tender and liquid is reduced. Garnish with remaining parsley.

Fruits and vegetables are an essential part of a healthy diet and knowledge of seasonal produce is key to helping you reach optimum health while saving money, consuming high quality nutrients, enjoying fresh flavor, and supporting local businesses. For more recipe inspiration, download the Rejuvenan app and gain access to hundreds of recipes as well as our team of physicians and dietitians, whenever you need them, wherever you need them.