Which fruits, vegetables and fish are in season in France this July?

Summer is well and truly underway in France, which means a change to what is on our plates begins.

Eating lighter meals is recommended during the summer months to help our bodies stay cool – particularly during a heatwave – and luckily the warmer period sees a plethora of fresh fruits and vegetables to help towards that end. 

In part of its aim to help the population eat healthier, the government offers a monthly list of seasonal fruits and vegetables local to France as part of its manger-bouger website. 

The website also shows recipes for each ingredient, helping reduce food waste from unused items you may have left over from other meals. 

We review this month’s recommendations. 

Plenty of fresh foods available

July “is the season to enjoy the star flavours of summer” the website says, as the list of available produce expands from last month’s already-plentiful offerings. 

Stone fruits including peaches/nectarines and apricots remain in season alongside berries including strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. 

A new addition for the month is ‘brugnon’, a rare variety of nectarine that is popular in France

It is the last month to enjoy cherries, which have an unfortunately short window. 

Also vegetables are in plentiful supply as garlic, gherkins (cornichons), summer squash (including pattypan squash) and green beans all come into season. 

Summer vegetables such as courgettes, aubergines, peppers and tomatoes are all still in plentiful supply.

Anchovies return 

Seafood also follows a similar timetable, with seasonal produce available at certain periods. 

July sees several fish return, including Mediterranean anchovies, mackerel, red mullet, John Dory, sardines, and albacore tuna. Many were not freshly available during the spring months. 

At the same time, seafood including squid, mussels, cockles, and crab are also available, providing a variety of options.