Strawberries Wind Down, Blueberries Begin their Season

Local short-season strawberries are winding down; most of what you'll be seeing from now on are everbearing varieties, better adapted to hot weather but not as flavorful. Also on their last legs are Rainier cherries.

On the other hand, blueberries are beginning their season, and the earliest peach variety (Red Haven) is turning up here and there on farm tables. But this week and next, raspberries are where it's at: reds, blackcaps, and golden. If raspberries don't have enough zing to turn your crank, have you considered tayberries? Resulting from a chance cross 25 years ago in Scotland, this hybrid of a domestic raspberry and wild trailing blackberry is becoming a contender with lovers of tart summer fruit, particularly now that loganberries are getting so hard to find.

Nectarines are next up on the fruit front, with several varieties of apricot on deck. Among vegetables, the next few weeks are the heyday of squash; likewise cucumbers are coming on strong. You can find local garlic if you look hardand you should, because fresh garlic's a whole different animal from the hard, dry (and often sprouting) supermarket variety. It seems like black magic, but morel mushrooms are still appearing; if you can find some, sauté them with snow peas and a dash of sesame oil for an incomparable side dish.

food@seattleweekly.com