July is a time of rapid growth and peak harvests for crops in the Northern Hemisphere. There is a lot less sowing and planting and a lot more harvesting in the fields.
World Chocolate Day, 7 July, is a special tribute to one of humankind’s greatest inventions. #WorldChocolateDay
9 July is durian fruit day, which might be polar opposites in taste and smell to chocolate. Interestingly, though, durian shares family ties with cacao, the bean used to make chocolate. Both are considered part of the Malvaceae or Mallow family of flowering plants. #DurianFruitDay#InternationalDurianDay
National Ice Cream Day on 19 July may be American, being founded by Ronald Regan, but here in the UK we can still celebrate. The history of ice cream dates back to the Iranian Achaemenid Empire, in roughly 500BC. Dolcetti Ice Cream is Gelato with Italian soul, hand-crafted in the Cotswolds with natural ingredients. And we must not forget our four-legged friends. Dogs love ice cream too, and Gruffles Ice Cream for Dogs is a dairy-free treat, low in sugar, made with real animal protein. #NationalIceCreamDay
During July, you can expect to see these seasonal fruits and vegetables on many menus:
- Apricot
- Aspargus
- Aubergine
- Basil
- Beetroot
- Blackcurrants
- Broad bean
- Carrot
- Cavolo nero
- Cherry
- Chervil
- Courgette
- Garlic
- Globe Artichoke
- Gooseberry
- Mangetout
- Mint
- Nectarine
- Peas
- Potatoes
- Raspberry
- Redcurrant
- Runner beans
- Samphire
- Strawberry
- Swiss Chard
- Tayberry
- Tomato
- Watercress
- Watermelon
Seasonal Fruits for July
Cherries
Cherries are at their best in mid-July. Generally, pale cherries are sweet and best for eating. Dark cherries tend to be more acidic & sour, and best used in cooking crumbles, pies and sauces.
Gooseberry
Gooseberries are Ribes with red, green or yellow fruits. They ripen from late June when they are perfect for jam, pies, tarts and sauces. They continue to ripen into early August when they become larger and sweeter.
Tayberry
Tayberries are a hybrid of raspberries and blackberries named after the River Tay in Scotland. The reddish-purple fruit ripen in late July through August, and is very soft when ripe.
Seasonal Vegetables for July
Cavolo nero
Cavolo nero translates as black cabbage and is so-called because of its dark blue-green, almost black leaves. It’s a cabbage from Tuscany, Italy, so it’s also known as Tuscan kale and Italian kale. Because of the colour and texture of its leaves, cavolo nero is also known as dinosaur kale. It is an incredibly versatile vegetable. It can be eaten at all stages of maturity. You can eat it raw or cooked in many ways, including frying it in tempura batter or boiling it and mashing it with potatoes to make boerenkoolstamppot.
Samphire
Samphire is a salt-tolerant plant, sometimes called a sea vegetable. There are two types of samphire in the UK: rock samphire, which is hard and difficult to harvest and the more widely available marsh samphire. Rock samphire is rare and difficult to harvest. It is an excellent accompaniment to seafood due to its salty flavour. If you like to pickle samphire, you will need young green shoots harvested before they flower at the end of July.
Easily order online from our broad yet expertly curated product range, featuring meats and dairy, baked goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, and chilled and frozen items.
