Discover the varied tastes and textures of these sweet summer fruits.

Warm summer days bring us many seasonal treats and stone fruits (so-called because they have a pit or “stone” at their center) are among our favorites. From apricots and cherries to peaches and plumcots, all varieties have a few things in common... they’re packed with nutrition and play starring roles in a wide range of recipes both sweet and savory. And they are, without exception, delicious when eaten fresh.

The Fresh Market works with growers near and far to bring our guests stone fruit that is picked at its peak, carefully packed, and quickly shipped for extraordinary flavor.

CHERRIES

Cherries are easily damaged by weather, and they can be difficult to grow and harvest, not to mention they have a short growing season, so there are plenty of reasons to cherish these seasonal standouts. Cherries are packed with flavor and healthy antioxidants, so they make a fantastic fresh snack.

Fruit for Thought:

• While red is the color most commonly associated with cherries, there are also yellow and deep purple varieties

PEACHES

Is there any fruit that captures the mellow days of summer quite like a ripe peach? Their juicy sweetness is usually the only enticement needed to pick up a handful. But if you need another reason (or two), remember that they also contain antioxidants and essential minerals.

Fruit for Thought:

• There are two primary categories of peaches—freestones and clingstones. Freestone peaches have flesh that separates readily from the pit, while clingstones need to be cut away from the pit. Freestone peaches are a great choice for healthy snacking, while clingstone peaches are ideal for canning.
• Peaches are great for the grill! We love grilling them and adding to salads and salsas or enjoying with ice cream.

PLUMS

Plums are wonderfully varied and versatile, ranging in color from deep purple to amber and even green, and ranging in taste from superbly sweet to complex and tart. Plums are a good source of Vitamins A & C and also provide minerals such as potassium and fluoride.

Fruit for Thought:

• Plums do not sweeten after being picked, but they do ripen and soften
• Prunes are plums that have been dried

APRICOTS

Apricots feature smooth yet velvety skin, which ranges from white to golden to deep purple across different varieties and covers tender sweet flesh with well-developed sugars. Their beautiful balance of sweetness and mild acidity give apricots a complex and candy-like flavor, yet they’re also high in Vitamin C, antioxidants, and fiber.

Fruit for thought:

• Refrigerating an apricot almost completely stops its ripening. Store at room temperature until ripe, or place your apricots in a paper bag for a day or two to speed up their ripening

NECTARINES

Pro-peach but anti-fuzz? Nectarines are an ideal stone fruit for you! They’re very sweet and juicy with a mild acidity that makes nectarines just a little bit tangy too. These sweet fruits are packed with healthy antioxidants and essential minerals and they’re a fresh fruit dream for smart summer snacking, baking, or smoothie-making.

Fruit for Thought:

• The word “nectarine” means “sweet as nectar”, which fits this fruit perfectly
• “Sugar spots” on the skin indicate the fruit is so loaded with sweetness (the sugars are essentially crystallizing on the outside)

PLUMCOTS

Part plum. Part apricot. Totally delicious! The intense sweetness of the plumcot comes from the flesh, while the slightly tangy skin creates a delicious flavor balance. You might love plumcots for their incredibly sweet taste, but you can also appreciate that they’re loaded with healthy antioxidants and fiber.

Fruit for thought:

• You can’t hurry a plumcot! Creating a new variety can take years of cross breeding attempts using hand pollination.
• Plumcots come in a rainbow of flavors and colors to suit any palate or palette.
• Use plumcots in any recipe that call for plum or apricot