Other Summer Fruits
A variety of flavors
Apricots
Symms Fruit Ranch grows flavorful and juicy apricots. If you have never tried apricots, or remember apricots as soft and bland, you need to try Symms apricots! Apricots are tree ripened and available throughout the month of July in local grocery stores and are delicious eaten fresh, dried, used in baking or made into jam.
Plums
Like our apricots, Symms Fruit Ranch plums are large and juicy. Not only can our plums be found in local grocery stores and our on-farm Retail Room, but they are sought after in markets across America and internationally. Plum varieties including Empress and President and our Italian Prunes are available in early September. Plums and prunes are well known for their antioxidant and digestive health benefits and taste great too! When purchasing plums look for firm, dark colored fruit that gives slightly when gently squeezed. Plums can be ripened at home in a paper bag and then stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Enjoy plums fresh or use in salads, sauces or baked in desserts.
Pears
There is nothing more delicious than a perfectly ripe pear. Symms Fruit Ranch grows three very distinctively different pear varieties. Bartlett pears are the traditional variety consumers are most familiar with. Both green and red varieties, harvested in August and September, are tender and sweet when ripe and are best eaten fresh. Most pears are marketed before they are totally ripe to minimize bruising and spoilage. To ripen pears, simply leave at room temperature for a couple days or speed ripening by putting in paper bag. Pears are ripe when they give slightly when pressed near the neck or stem of the fruit. D’Anjou and Bosc varieties are firm and store longer. These varieties hold up well in cooking and baking applications and are found later in the season. Try pears with oatmeal for breakfast, in a salad at lunch or a warm dessert at dinner.
Use this guide to see when other summer fruits are available:
| JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apricots |  | |||||||||||
| Nectarines |  | |||||||||||
| Plums |  | |||||||||||
| Pears |  | | | |