What’s in Season – July Produce and Recipes

updated June 30, 2025

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

July brings a bounty of fresh, seasonal produce perfect for the warm summer evenings. From juicy berries and ripe tomatoes to sweet melons and tender squash, the best of July produce is ready to be savored!

Different fruit and veggies that are in season in July

In July, the harvest continues with an abundance of fresh, light flavors and a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables. From juicy stone fruits and berries to the arrival of summer squashes, July produce is perfect for the hot weather, and many of these items can be enjoyed without the need to turn on your oven.

So, here’s my handy guide for what’s in season in July – and the best ways to use it.

Fruit

Berries: You’ll find an abundance of blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries at the farmers market in July – all three of these berries are at their ripest during July. They are great to munch on as a snack.

Or you can add them to smoothies (try this super easy berry smoothie), jams (like blackberry jam or raspberry jam), salads (like strawberry spinach salad), salad dressing (like this raspberry vinaigrette), refreshing drinks (strawberry mocktail, anyone?), or baked goods (blackberry cobbler or blueberry cobbler).

You can also make delicious fresh strawberry juice. Let me know in the comments below what your favorite recipes with berries are.

Blackberry Jam Recipe (With Video)

View Recipe

Melons: One of the most versatile fruits in the July season is the melon. Honeydew, watermelon, and cantaloupe can be used in everything from desserts (like watermelon granita) to juices (refreshing watermelon juice) to barbecues, and I can never get enough.

You can also make these fun watermelon jello slices or this refreshing watermelon feta salad.

Top view of watermelon feta salad in a white large bowl on a white marble background.

Fresh watermelon salad

View Recipe

Stone fruits: the most popular during July are apricots, cherries, plums, peaches, and nectarines. And you can easily use them in a variety of dishes. Try swapping out peaches in a summer salad with nectarines and burrata, use them to make cherry juice or peach lemonade, or to whip up a delicious dessert.

Make peach simple syrup and use it for peach iced tea. Make an easy peach dump cake or long-lasting apricot jam.

Two glasses with peach lemonade and two peaches in front of them

How To Make Peach Lemonade

View Recipe

Squash

Zucchini: Also known as courgette, they are perfect for making lighter dinners when it’s too hot to turn on the oven. This versatile veggie can be eaten cooked or raw and used in a lot of different ways.

For instance, grill zucchini or use them for fried veggie fritters and stuffed zucchini boats or in a surprisingly good-for-you chocolate cake (you’d never know the zucchini was there!). Or just enjoy this easy pan-fried zucchini recipe or quick zucchini soup.

The Best Pan-Fried Zucchini

View Recipe

Summer squash: Harvested before they reach their peak ripeness, summer squashes are considerably smaller and differently colored from their autumnal varieties. In fact, they look very similar to zucchini. I love making squash casseroles or frying summer squash and serving it with dipping sauces.

Freshly fried slices of yelloe squash on a plate topped with parsley

Crispy Fried Squash

View Recipe

Cucumbers: Almost 97% of cucumber is water, they can easily used in simple cucumber and onion salad or cucumber sandwiches. But I love using cucumbers for more experimental recipes – like cucumber lemonade, cucumber juice, and, of course, homemade pickles!

You can also make fun recipes like this cucumber sushi and creamy cucumber yogurt salad.

Cucumber juice with ice cubes in a pitcher

How to Make Cucumber Juice (3 Methods)

View Recipe

Vegetables

Tomatoes: Plump and juicy, tomatoes will have spent the spring months growing – and are now ready for picking. Tomatoes come in all kinds of varieties and colors. For the summer, I like my tomatoes raw – usually as part of a salad. But if you’ve got a glut, try preserving them by sun-drying tomatoes, pickling green tomatoes, roasting tomatoes, or juicing tomatoes.

You can also make one of my all-time favorite recipes – tomato confit or creamy tomato soup.

Simple Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

View Recipe

Peppers: Just like tomatoes, red, green, yellow, and orange peppers come in July in a variety of shapes and sizes. Whether you prefer milder bell peppers or something a bit spicier, they should have a firm texture with smooth skin and a green stalk still attached.

They’re easily enjoyed raw with dips or even incorporated into them, like in Ajvar, Muhammara, and red pepper hummus, or can be roasted with other summer veggies. I’ve also shared how to roast peppers, which allows you to store them for longer.

Enjoy pepper in dishes like pepper steak, shrimp fajitas, or stuffed bell peppers.

The Best Pepper Steak Recipe

View Recipe

Others

Corn: I recommend getting your corn from the farmer’s market or a stand where the husk should still be intact. Sweet corn can be cooked in a variety of different ways for a summer cookout or as a low-effort side. Enjoy it as grilled corn, oven-roasted corn with garlic butter, boiled corn, or even microwaved corn.

You can also make these delicious corn ribs, creamed corn, or Southern fried corn.

Microwaved corn on the cob with removed husk

Microwave Corn on the Cob in Husk

View Recipe

Green Beans: They are easy to make into a quick side dish for dinner. Sautee green beans or boil green beans with a little butter or oil and some herbs – and eating your greens will have never been easier!

Of course, you can also make oven-roasted green beans or air-fried green beans. I also love this green bean stew recipe – so refreshing!