← July

The seasonal basket

July ingredients

9 ingredients worth organizing your week around. Each page explains why now, how to choose it, and what to do with it.

Heirloom tomatoes July is peak tomato season in Southern California. Any ripe tomato — heirloom or not — is … Persian cucumbers Small, seedless, and thin-skinned, Persian cucumbers are at their crispest in summer. They… Peaches Southern California stone fruit peaks through July. The combination of warm days and cool … Sweet corn Corn sugars convert to starch quickly after picking. July corn eaten within a day or two o… Basil Basil is at its most fragrant in warm weather. July heat brings out the volatile oils. The… Mint Mint is cooling by nature and perfect in summer heat. A few leaves change the temperature … Cherries California cherry season runs through July. The window is short. Buy them when they are da… Blackberries Wild and cultivated blackberries both peak in July in Southern California. They are deeply… Wild salmon Wild Pacific salmon — king, sockeye, coho — is caught from late spring through summer, and…