The Joys of Summer Fruit
- By Chris Mittelstaedt
- Reading Time: 3 mins.
Summer for many of us is tied to the memory of a perfect piece of fruit. The tartness of that just-picked blackberry; the smell of a peach so sweet you salivate in anticipation of biting into it.
I have touched on summer fruits here and there (last week I heralded the arrival of plums!) but I thought it might be nice to have a broader view of the season and seasonality in general.
Eating seasonally is a great way to support your health, as well as the planet. Seasonality is central to The FruitGuys goal of supporting local farms, regional food economies, and sustainable agriculture. We are blessed in California with a climate that produces abundant fruit and vegetables year round, or close to it.
As you can see in our seasonality chart, summer (June 21-Sept. 22) starts with berries and cherries, then apricots; peaches and plums run until late summer. The season finishes up with grapes and the beginning of the apple and pear harvests.
If you want to go a little deeper, I suggest you check out our 2023 Summer Fruit Guide, which gives a preview of the fruit that you’ll be seeing in our Harvest and Season’s Best mixed fruit boxes until the end of the season.
If you don’t receive a Harvest box, we make it easy to upgrade your fruit mix for the rest of the summer, and then switch it back. A quick email, chat, or call to our legendary customer service team is all it takes.
We are still running our upgrade deal:
Organic Harvest Upgrade* (from Staples box of same size):
- $10 to upgrade a large box
- $7 to upgrade a medium box
- $5 to upgrade a small box
Conventional Harvest Upgrade* (from Staples box of same size):
- $10 to upgrade a large box
- $3 to upgrade a medium box
- $3 to upgrade a small box
*excludes other discounts, promotions, special offers or pricing
Hey, speaking of seasonality, guess what’s coming up soon? Gravenstein apple season!
Sign up now to be the first to hear when to order to get your Gravs!
We purchase the apples from Sonoma County farmers and then give them an additional 16% of the proceeds from all box sales.’
Our sense of place is often rooted in our traditions and memories. I grew up outside of Philadelphia and the memory of walking through the Lancaster County Farmers Market in Wayne, PA with my mom brings back the echoey sounds of people shopping and talking amongst the fresh smells of produce, ripe cheeses, and hot, fried funnel cake. Food – its smells, tastes and textures–can be a powerful anchor in our lives.
Terroir is a French word and concept used to describe (most familiarly for wine) the natural environment that produces a particular product and how or why that regional soil or climate impacts the experience of that product. Terroir can also reflect culture and history.
Recognizing and celebrating the terroir of unique, regional food experiences can be a touchstone of cultural relevance that connects us to food in a way that welcomes others and bridges people into communities.
For the last 24 years, we’ve been advocates for food that works as a path to health and connection of people. For 16 years we’ve been connecting people at offices and homes with the history, place, and experience of the Sonoma County Gravenstein Apple, a fickle and fleeting variety that is available for a very short season each August.
Gravensteins are one of the earliest apples to harvest in the U.S.. I wanted to make you all aware we are now taking pre-orders for this special box as supplies will be limited.
This year, there is a benefit concert to support the return of the fair in 2022. If you are in Northern California you can check it out this Saturday August 14, from 11-6pm, tickets are on sale now.
