Following our recent article on spring produce, here’s what’s in season for summer. Not everything may be available in your area, but what is there should be largely American-grown—not imported from another hemisphere.

Some of the items are harvested for only a few weeks; others are around for months. So peruse the list, note what you don’t want to miss, and add it to your shopping list.

The list was created by the Produce For Better Health Foundation. Take a look at their website, FruitsAndVeggiesMoreMatters.org for tips on better meal planning with fresh produce.

SUMMER FRUITS

If you’ve never had fresh lychees, this is the season to get your fill! Photo courtesy Baldor Food.

 
*Olallieberries, developed in 1949 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture at Oregon State University by crossing a loganberry with a youngberry. They are two-thirds blackberry, one-third European red raspberry.

†Rose apples are not related to European apples (family Rosaceae), which originated in Turkey. They are members of the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Native to the East Indies, they are also known as plum roses and Malabar plums.

SUMMER VEGETABLES

 
Enjoy the feast!

 
‡The Armenian cucumber, Cucumis melo var. flexuosus, is a long, slender fruit which tastes like a cucumber and looks somewhat like a cucumber inside. It is actually a variety of muskmelon, a species closely related to the cucumber. However, cucumbers and melons are botanical first cousins. Both are from the binomial order Cucurbitales, family Cucurbitaceae and genus Cucumis, differing only at the species level. Watermelon rind is edible and tastes like cucumber. That’s why it is often turned into pickles, like cucumbers.
  

Lavender is a flowering plant, a genus of 39 species that originated in the Mediterranean, northern and eastern Africa and southwest Asia, including India. The most widely cultivated species is English lavender, Lavandula angustifolia. Though not native to England it has long been the preferred variety grown there.

As noted in Wikipedia, the names “English lavender,” “French lavender” and “Spanish lavender” are “imprecisely applied.”

The word lavender may be derived from Latin livere, “blueish.”

It is grown as an ornamental flower, and also as a culinary ingredient. The oil is used to scent beauty and household products. Medicinally, it was used as a disinfectant and antiseptic by ancient herbalists. It became a cosmetic herb and a tonic due to its popularity with the English royalty.

The different lavender types vary in the potency and flavor of the flowers and oils. English lavender is the sweetest and the most commonly used.

If you look for lavender recipes, you’ll find almost every food embellished with lavender. We can’t possibly narrow the selection, so look for what you like.

What we will do is tell you how to infuse lavender in alcohol and simple syrup, and make lavender cocktails.

Lavender makes a summer soft drink or cocktail. Photo courtesy DrySparkling.

INFUSING LAVENDER IN ALCOHOL

When lavender buds are steeped in alcohol, the essential oils are extracted from the flowers and infused into the alcohol.

Add sprigs of to a bottle of gin, vodka or tequila, let it infuse in a warm, dark place for a week or two, then put the bottle in the freezer so it will be chilled and ready for summer drinks.

Note that you need organic lavender: You don’t want pesticides in your food.

Our favorite is lavender-infused gin. Lavender is a great match with the botanicals in the gin.

Lavender is a great pairing with lemon, so don’t hesitate to add lavender to a bottle of lemon vodka. of gin and lavender make an absolutely fabulous gin and tonic! A sprig of lavender in a martini with a twist of lemon is another intriguing synergy.

Dry Sparking is a delicious soft drink or mixer. It’s a non-alcoholic pairing for cheese, grilled fish, hazelnuts, pork tenderloin, salted caramel and tiramisu. Photo courtesy Dry Sparkling.

LAVENDER MARTINI

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.

2. SHAKE well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the lavender sprig.
 
LAVENDER SIMPLE SYRUP

Infuse lavender buds in this simple syrup recipe. Use 1 tablespoon dried lavender buds per each cup of water.

Put a lavender rim on any cold or hot beverage where you’d like the extra flavor. Try it with iced tea!

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the lavender and sugar in a food processor and pulse to mix evenly. Flecks of lavender should be evenly distributed throughout the sugar.

2. MAKE the rim by dipping the glass rim in water, about 3/8″ deep. Twist the glass in a dish of lavender sugar to make the sugar rim.

3. STORE unused sugar in an airtight jar, out of direct light.
 
 
MORE LAVENDER IDEAS

We’ve enjoyed lots of lavender products, including:

Dozens of cream liqueurs have debuted since, from the familiar (chocolate, coffee, maple) to the exotic (amarula, the fruit of the African marula tree).

A new contender is SomruS, which tastes like vanilla liqueur with exotic notes. It is made from “pure Wisconsin dairy cream and hand-crafted Caribbean rum mixed with the flavors of cardamom, saffron, almonds, pistachios and rose.”

SomruS is called “The Original Indian Cream Liqueur” by its producer, bringing “the flavors, history and culture of the Indian sub-continent.”

It is manufactured in the U.S. by SomPriya Fine Spirits of Chicago.

Introduced last October, SomruS quickly racked up some prestigious citations, including Cream Liqueur of the Year from New York International Spirits Competition and a place on the Top 50 Spirits List of the Wine Enthusiast.

The bottle is fashioned after an ancient Indian decanter. Photo courtesy SomruS.

The one problem we have is with the marketing. Calling it the “Nectar of the Gods” is a bad call of the over-enthusiastic and under-informed.

The nectar of the gods, as most of us learned in grade school, is mead—an alcoholic beverage created by fermenting honey with water. In ancient times, it was consumed throughout Europe, Africa and Asia (and by all the Greek gods).

We would also argue that “the original Indian cream liquer” is Voyant Chai, introduced ten years ago and also made in the USA. What’s more Indian than chai?

Are we too nitpicky, or simply focused on accuracy?

That doesn’t take away from the fact that SomruS is delicious, rich and nuanced. It’s a versatile liqueur for:

 
It’s a handsome gift option, too.

Check out the SomruS website. If you can’t find it locally, SomruS is available for online orders from PassionSpirits.com, which ships to 46 states and overseas. The suggested retail price is $24.99 for a 750ml bottle.