What produce is in season in June in the Midwest?

What’s in season in June?

As we leave behind spring and approach the summer solstice, with over 15 hours of continuous daylight in Chicago, plant production approaches its peak. 

At most Midwest farms in June, you’ll start to find goodies like:

• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Gooseberries
• Plums
• Apricots
• Carrots
• Shell beans, e.g. green beans, wax beans, romano beans, etc.
• Bulb onions

Red fruits are first to produce because acid forms quicker than sugar, so we get raspberries before blackberries, sour cherries before sweet, apricots before peaches, and so on.  Any beans that are eaten in the shell will be ready, while beans traditionally harvested dry like lentils or navy beans will not. And by now, onions have developed large bulbs and are storing energy for flower and seed production.

How do you use June produce?

With berries and stone fruits galore, June is the start of the heavy preservation season. Berries make fantastic jams. Cherries and apricots are great for drying. And don’t forget about vegetable preserves. Beans and roots make great pickles, and cabbage is available for homemade sauerkraut or kimchi.

Fresh or preserved, all of the above go great in a salad. Perhaps even a salad handmade for you by Closed Loop Farms on a Saturday morning at Green City Market… 

As we get deeper into summer, we’ll see some later berries like blackberries and blueberries, but we’ll also get our favorite Midwest summer vegetables, like tomatoes, zucchini, green peppers, eggplant, cucumber, or sweet corn. Keep an eye on our shop for the freshest produce from local Nichols and Klug farms.