Cherry season this year has been amazing! Last year we had a rough cherry season because they didn’t get the warm weather they needed. The cherries this year definitely made up for it! These brooks cherries are incredibly sweet, tart, and juicy! They hold up really well making them great for baking and cooking but they awesome in raw preparations as well!

These purple snow peas are incredible! They are so crunchy, tender, and sweet. Their beautiful purple color depends when cooked!
These are great sliced into a salad or charred whole with some good olive oil and garlic.

I am loving all of the pea tendrils right now! They are so tender and sweet and have all of the amazing flavor of peas. They have a beautiful vibrant green color. I love them for garnishes on pizzas and toasts, wilted, or mixed into a salad.

Red dragon Napa cabbage is one of the most beautiful vegetables i’ve ever seen! It has all the same great qualities are your standard Napa cabbage but it has a bright purple hue and great sweetness! This cabbage is great raw in a slaw or charred!

Spigarello is such an awesome green! Part of the cruciferous family, the flavor is mild, grassy and sweet. It is everything you want in broccoli without the bitterness or sulphuric qualities. It is great wilted with other winter greens like kale and mustard

Most tomatoes are a summer crop, except for these mountain magic tomatoes. Being a late harvest tomato, it has a very thick skin that holds up really well to slow roasting. At Dialogue, we would roast them for up to six hours intensifying the flavor while still holding onto all the moisture.

Pears are here! Pears are such a delicate fruit so when the season is right, take advantage! I love monterrey asian pears (pictured), bosc, bartlett, and my favorite are the kieffer pear (a cross between an asian and bartlett pear).

Grapes are at their prime right now. Some of the best grapes such as thomcord and muscat have seeds making them great for juices. My favorite seedless grapes right now are the sweet scarlett and red flame variety!

Figs are here! Pictured are Laura’s honey figs which have a beautiful white flesh and super sweet flavor. There are also candy stripe figs, brown turkey figs, black mission figs, and Laura’s famous violette de bordeaux figs. Whichever you choose, they are all delicious in their own unique way. Fig season only lasts a couple of months so get them while you can!

Tomatoes are in full swing! Although we have had a cooler summer here in Southern California, it has finally warmed up for these beauties to ripen!

My favorite variety of cherry tomatoes are without a doubt the sungold variety. They have a bright orange color, good firm texture, and are super sweet!

My favorite varieties of large heirloom tomatoes are black brandy tomato (red), pineapple tomato (yellow), and persimmon tomato (orange). They have an amazing juicy but not mealy texture and their tomato flavor is unmatched!

Pluots and plums are here! My favorite variety pictured to the right are the Bella Royale pluots. Their skins have a beautiful pink color and the flesh is so sweet, refreshing, and floral… everything you want in stone fruit in the summertime. Other varieties of plums and pluots right now that are great:

Santa Rosa plum- this is your classic red skin white flesh plum that has a tart skin and sweet flesh… also has a great firm texture

Elephant Heart plum- tart purple skin with a blood red juicy flesh. On top of being the perfect balance of sweet and tart, this plum has the most amazing plum flavor!

Mirabelles plum- this plum has a bright yellow skin and yellow flesh. The sweetness level of this plum is off the charts sweet but the skin give it a nice acid punch. These plums are also half the size of a regular plum, but they pack a punch!