Thinking of dinner ideas? With autumn just around the corner, it’s time to take advantage of fresh and local late summer ingredients at their peak! Here are 10 must-eat foods that are ripe right now with 10 recipes to inspire your next grocery trip.

1. Berries



2. Plums



3. Peaches



4. Melons



5. Green Beans



6. Corn



7. Eggplant



8. Celery Root



9. Tomatoes



10. Zucchini

Need More Inspiration to Take Advantage of Fresh Ingredients?
The Splendid Table
Greg Atkinson’s Apple Pie
The Break Away Cook

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Today is the fourth day in our Week of Julia Child, and boy are we having fun! So many recipes, so little time! Inspired by all the beautiful berries in our farmers market I thought a recipe showcasing their deliciousness would be fitting.

One of my favorite things to serve with fresh seasonal fruit is Sabayon, a wine custard, and found the perfect, easy recipe in Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom. Just whisk some fresh eggs with sugar and Marsala and spoon this creamy goodness over those gorgeous berries. That’s it, no fuss. Sabayon can be served hot or cold, but in the summer I prefer it well chilled for a refreshing reprieve from the heat.

Click below for the recipe:

Above photo: danielP2008

Other great vehicles for berries, or simply yummy recipes:

FXCuisine.com shows you via video how to make a Proper French Crepe
A beautiful Summer Berry Tart from Cookies on Friday
And this lovely Berry Soup With Cake Croutons (yum!) from Chow Vegan

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Many of you may think I’m talking about the scandalous former mayor of Washington, DC, Marion Barry, but I am not. I’m talking about the succulent Pacific Northwestern fruit, the marionberry.

The marionberry was introduced in 1956 at my alma mater, Oregon State University, and developed in Marion County. While they grow throughout the Pacific Northwest, 90% of the world’s crops are grown around the Marion County area. There are few spots in the world where caneberries (the blackberry family) grow and thrive, and the Willamette Valley in Oregon provides the perfect climate: a moist spring followed by hot summer days and cool nights.

These aren’t just any old ordinary blackberry, their flavor is far superior, even to Boysenberries. The marionberry is a cross between two hybrids – the smaller, tasty Chehalem and the larger high-producing Ollalie – and is big, fat and distinctively sweet.

Marionberries usually reach their peak around mid-July, but since we experienced a much colder spring this year in the Pacific Northwest, all berries are just starting to come out in their full glory. Soon marionberry aficionados like myself will be out picking ’til our lips, tongues and fingers are stained purple. Our pantries will be filled with marionberry jams and syrups, and our tables laid with pies and fresh home-made ice cream.

Oh, summer in the Pacific Northwest is grand!

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