July and August are very similar when it comes to produce – the big difference is how plentiful some of it is this month! So here is my handy guide for what’s in season in August!

Fruit

Blackberries: Plump, juicy, and tart, these fabulous berries can be found at any good farmers market, but the pros know to head back to nature and pick directly from the bush. Wild blackberries are safe to eat—just be careful of the thorns when picking! They’re so plentiful that you can pick bags and freeze them to use throughout the year in blackberry iced tea, salad topped with blackberries, blackberry ice cream, and the best blackberry jam.

Melon: Watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, muskmelon, Crenshaw, and ogen melons are at their best in August. Enjoy their peak season with refreshing recipes like watermelon granita, various ways juice watermelon (including a fun keg option), and watermelon salsa. You can also make a delightful watermelon feta salad with cucumber or create fresh watermelon jello slices without gelatin.

Stone fruits: August is one of the last months to enjoy apricots. They are a fantastic alternative to nectarines and peaches in baking and cooking. Always give your apricots a little press to check they’re firm before buying. If you have any soft ones, they can easily be turned into a delicious homemade aprico jam.

With other stone fruit, try making fresh peach cobbler, peach dump cake, or a peach crumble for a tasty treat. For a refreshing twist, make a grilled peach burrata salad or homemade vegan peach ice cream.

Vegetables

Summer squash: Squash isn’t just for the winter – this August staple brings delicious flavors to lighter meals. Summer squash, with its distinctive shape and bright yellow exterior, is picked when not fully ripe and should be firm and hefty. It’s easy to add to meals: cut it into salads, grill, or fry it. Try crispy fried squash, easy squash casserole recipe, or baked acorn squash for a versatile and tasty addition to your menu.

Cucumbers: Perhaps the most refreshing of the produce in season in August, cucumbers grow with wild abandon during August. This versatile veg is great for summer salads or slicing up alongside a sandwich, or if you’re feeling experimental, you can try making my cucumber lemonade or cucumber juice!

Tomatoes: In August, tomato plants explode with red orbs of every size and shape, perfect for dozens of dishes. Your tomatoes, whatever the variety, should be a brilliant red or yellow color. They make easy side dishes, can be sliced up for Mediterranean-style salads, or saved and turned into marinara sauce and tomato puree for cooking. Try using tomatoes in tomato cucumber salads, tomato confit, eggplant tomato dip, sun-dried tomato pesto, tomato soup, refreshing tomato juice, and more for a versatile and delicious addition to your meals.

Peppers: Crisp and sweet, a huge number of peppers come into season in August. Bell peppers, shishito, and jalapeno peppers come in a variety of colors and spice levels, so be careful about which ones you use! They’re also easily added into a beef stir-fry, blended to make red pepper dips, roasted peppers, and stuffed bell pepper recipe with meat and cheese for an easy weekday meal. The possibilities with peppers are practically endless.

Eggplant: Who doesn’t look forward to eggplant season? The king of the August vegetables, eggplants have a gorgeous deep purple color and taste incredible with just a little olive oil, salt and pepper. You can easily grill eggplants to perfection. Known as aubergine in some countries, use this August glut to make eggplant salad, eggplant parmesan, eggplant chips, roasted eggplant dip, air fryer eggplant fries, Baba Ganoush, and more.

Others

Outside of the August vegetables and fruits, the month also welcomes these staples from the garden.

Corn: Carried over from July, corn can be cooked in a dozen different ways – from quick microwaved corn and spicy corn ribs to oven-roasted corn slathered with butter and garlic and grilled corn as a cookout staple. Corn from the farmers market is the best, in my opinion, with the husk still on. I have a full guide for how to de-husk your corn and how to pick the best cob, so you get perfect corn every time you buy.

Okra: A staple of the South, okra—or “ladies fingers” as it’s also known—can also be found in Caribbean, African, Indian, and Creole cooking. Many preserve it for the year by pickling okra. You can also make okra stew or learn how to cook okra in various delicious ways.

Herbs: Your herb garden will likely be abundant this time of year, but look out, especially for basil and tarragon in August. Now is the perfect time to make pesto for the colder months or dehydrate your herbs to stock up your pantry. You can follow my handy guide for dehydrating basil here.

More seasonal produce guides

If you try any of these recipes for cooking with August seasonal produce, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d love to see your recipe recreations—tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!