Posts tagged “summer fruit”

Refreshingly sweet and tart, strawberries are delicious all year round. But there’s something special about strawberries in the summer. Juicy, sun-ripened, homegrown red berries picked right from the plant when they’re still warm… Nothing tastes more like summer! It’s no wonder they’re a summer favorite around here. Strawberries grow very well in gardens here in the Pacific Northwest— The gorgeous pink and white flowers are present throughout the spring and end up as ripe fruit by mid-summer. You can enjoy your own homegrown strawberries or those from local farmers as there is an abundance available every year.

Growing Strawberries

Strawberries are easy to grow and tasty to enjoy. In fact, wild varieties of strawberries are sometimes considered weeds: The prolific plant grows “runners” and additional strawberries out from the mother plant. This means wild strawberries grow far and haphazardly— You may find yourself trimming your own strawberry plants back at home.

Scarlet Belle strawberry plants at Tacoma Boys grow strong and produce pretty pink flowers that become the berries. The edible hanging basket berries are both aesthetically pleasing and deliciously fruitful. Scarlet Belle’s are known for their dual beauty and ease of care. They also go dormant in winter and come back when spring returns. When growing strawberries at home, there are just a few things to keep in mind:

Watch For Birds, Bunnies, and Other Critters

Sometimes right when the strawberries are ripe and ready, other animals will get to them first! Harvest early and often and consider something like bird netting.

Give the Plants Room to Grow

Remember, strawberry plants grow like weeds! You’ll need room for the leaves and flowers of the plant as well as its offspring. For those Scarlet Belle strawberries, avoid overcrowding the container. That means clipping off the runners and baby plants, too, which may instead allow for more nutrients to the fruit of the plant.

Compost and Fertilizer Can Be Beneficial

If you’re comfortable with using such additions, compost or fertilizer can help your strawberry plants grow even more fruit. Check out this guide for information on fertilizing strawberries.

Choose an Appropriate Spot for the Plants

Strawberries like a good amount of sun, so make sure they’re not directly under a porch or somewhere else overly shady. Put the plant somewhere you can see it often to enjoy its beauty!

Local Summer Fruit at Tacoma Boys

Local summer fruit like strawberries are tasty to eat all season long. Fresh fruit is such a good healthy snack and tasty to enjoy on its own. But there are plenty of different dishes and things to make with strawberries. Desserts are a sweet and simple go-to. For a savory summer fruit recipe, salads are delicious and fun to make. Try this Strawberry Peach Spinach Salad with Montchevre Goat Cheese and Annie’s Organic Dijon Mustard to highlight the local summer fruit. Whipped ricotta toast is another popular choice for savory strawberries: Try toasted Essential Baking Company Organic Sliced Fremont Sour White with whipped Organic Valley Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese and balsamic-marinated strawberries.

Aside from strawberries, other summer fruit in Washington includes:

• Berries like blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries
• Peaches and nectarines.
• Bing and rainier cherries.
• Cantaloupe, honey dew melon, and watermelon.
• Rhubarb: Tacoma Boy’s recipe for Apple Rhubarb Crisp is seasonal and scrumptious.

Local Produce

Summer fruits like strawberries are just a fraction of the local produce available in the summer. The Pacific Northwest is rich with vegetables and herbs throughout the year, but summer is a great time for local produce. The ample soil, shining sun, and sprinkle of rain yields an abundance of vegetables. Summer season for produce means copious amounts of tomatoes, zucchini, different lettuces, and more. And bonus: Enjoying this produce from local farmers and markets means you’re shopping seasonally and locally. 

In addition to summer fruit, local produce is available at Tacoma Boys, including:

• Zucchini and summer squash
• Several varieties of tomatoes
• Peppers
• Beets
• Radishes
• Peas and beans
• Cabbage

And much more! Buying seasonal, local produce like strawberries is good for you, your community, and the environment. Local produce is in season, fresh, and supports your neighbors: Read more about shopping local and seasonal here. Delicious, sweet fruit and hearty vegetables are available year-round and especially in the summer. Summer is also a good time to head to u-pick farms for summer fruit like berries! Harvesting your own food is fun, rewarding, and connects you closer to the source of common sustenance. 

Shop for Strawberries at Tacoma Boys

Tacoma Boys stays stocked with a selection of strawberries and summer fruit— local and otherwise. That includes those stunning Scarlet Belle strawberry plants so you can get started on growing your own! Stop by to check them out or grab the necessities for your meals all summer long. To stay up to date on insider deals and specials, sign up for Tacoma Boys’ text list. Just text (253) 246-1661 to tell Paul you want to be on the list!

Here in the Pacific Northwest, there is an abundance of summer fruit harvested all season long. As we move through June, July, and August, different fruits will be ready for harvest. Early fruits like cherries are ready now, while melons or nectarines take just a bit more time. Deliciously sweet and refreshing, summer fruit thrives in many parts of Washington. And it’s so easy to eat with little preparation and minimal or no cooking required!

Seasonal Summer Fruit

Many people look forward to summer fruit all year long! There’s something about the sun-ripened, juicy produce that’s just hard to resist. While Washington is famous for its autumn apples, there are several varieties of other fruits to enjoy. When shopping locally and eating seasonal, it’s great to have the option to enjoy fresh fruit. And there are so many ways to eat it! Think fruit salad, charcuterie boards, homemade breakfast buffets, and much more.

While vegetable gardens are a bit more common, growing summer fruit in the Pacific Northwest is fun for many gardeners. Some varieties of fruit, like melons, may be a bit trickier to take care of. Meanwhile, strawberries grow like weeds in some backyards! If you’re interested in growing fruit, this guide by Swanson’s Nursery may help you get started. By next season, your garden will be overflowing with sweet summer fruit!

Pacific Northwest Local Produce

Tacoma Boys boasts a wide selection of local produce throughout every season. But during the summer, you’ll find a variety of even more locally grown produce. Local, seasonal fruits and vegetables are fresh, ripe, and reliably tasty. And buying local produce supports your community and Pacific Northwest farmers! Local summer fruit here in the Pacific Northwest includes:

Berries 

Raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries all thrive when grown in Washington. Sometimes, you can find local boysenberries, marionberries, loganberries, and huckleberries. There are several different varieties of berries that grow here— You’ve probably even seen salmonberries if you’ve ever ventured for a hike through the woods in the Pacific Northwest!

Stone Fruit

Nectarines, peaches, and apricots are a late summer harvest. Plums and pluots are stone fruits that grow in the Pacific Northwest, too— You might even have a plum tree in your own backyard or neighborhood! And did you know that cherries are not berries, but stone fruits? Rainier and bing cherries are very popular early in Washington summers. 

Melons 

Melons have a short growing period later in the summer, like stone fruits. They need hot, dry weather to thrive, like that in Eastern Washington. This includes cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon.

Rhubarb

Rhubarb is different from most other Pacific Northwest fruits because it’s quite tart and not eaten raw. The stalky plant is usually cooked down with other fruits, like strawberries or raspberries. If you want to cook with local produce like rhubarb, try our recipe for Apple Rhubarb Crisp!

Easy Fruit Recipes 

When you don’t feel like cooking in the summer heat, easy fruit recipes are helpful to rely on. While you can certainly just cut the fruit and eat it raw, it’s fun to get creative! Fruit can be incorporated into sweet and savory dishes. It can also be grilled or otherwise cooked before enjoying. These easy fruit recipes can work for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dessert. During the summer, it’s both convenient and hydrating to snack on fresh fruit: This makes it easy and tasty to eat healthy and consume enough servings of fruits and vegetables.

Breakfast

Oatmeal bowl topped with fresh strawberries, raspberries, and apples. Or, Zoi Honey Greek Yogurt parfait with fresh fruit and granola.

Lunch

Try a peach or nectarine in this Summer Peach Salad by Ambitious Kitchen. Or, throw together some nectarine blueberry toasties on sourdough bread on top of President Brie Cheese and fresh basil.

Snack or Appetizer 

Bites of fresh fruit alongside just about any Boars Head Cheese is a great mini-charcuterie style snack! Or, grill up some fresh watermelon and serve it with fresh mint and Stella Crumbled Feta Cheese for something a little different.

Dessert

Making a dessert out of fresh fruit, like berries or peaches, is popular because of the fruit’s natural sweetness. A quick and easy fruit recipe for dessert can be as simple as grilled peaches topped with Acme Valley Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. You could also try a homemade berry sorbet, like this recipe by Clean Food Crush!
Now that you’re ready to start snacking on the Pacific Northwest’s best summer fruit, check out the produce section at Tacoma Boys! We have a wide variety and selection of ripe local fruit and all the specialty food ingredients to go along with it. Also visit the weekly specials page regularly to see what’s new and fresh now. And to stay up to date on insider deals and specials, sign up for Tacoma Boys’ text list. Just text (253) 246-1661 to tell Paul you want to be on the list!