Seasonal Produce for August with Frugal Tips

It is important to know what veggies are in season. These are often the cheapest ingredients for your meal plan. Save money on groceries by buying according to the seasons. If you cook with real food you know that all you need is the basics in your pantry and a vegetable or two to whip up all kinds of tasty things.

Glorious seasonal fruits and vegetables for August:

*I have noted how long things stay fresh so you can meal plan to maximize your budget and eliminate waste

Apricots 4-5 days fridge
Avocados 3-5 days fridge, choose it
Basil 5-9 days fridge
Bell Peppers 1-2 weeks fridge, green peppers even longer
Beets 3-5 days fridge
Blackberries 2-3 days fridge, best flavor kept room temp
Blueberries 2-3 days room temp, 5-10 days fridge, best flavor kept room temp
Boysenberries 2-3 days fridge, best flavor kept room temp, use it
Cantaloupe 2-4 days room temp, 7-10 days fridge, best flavor kept room temp, choose it
Carrots 3-4 weeks fridge
Chard 2-3 days fridge, use it
Cherries 2-3 days room temp, 4-7 days fridge
Chiles nobody says but it has to be close to bell peppers
Cilantro don’t eat cilantro it’s terribly horribly no good
Corn conflicting reports 1-2 or 5-7 days fridge, my guess is farm stand corn is fresher so lasts longer
Cucumbers 1 week fridge
Eggplant 5-7 days fridge
Fennel 7-10 days fridge, it tastes like licorice and anise and you need it, use it
Figs 1-2 days fridge, use it
Garlic 3-5 months room temp
Grapes 5-7 days fridge
Green beans 3-5 days fridge
Green onions/Scallions 7-10 days fridge
Kiwi 5-7 days fridge
Lemongrass 5-7 days room temp, 10-14 days fridge, use it
Limes 3-4 weeks fridge
Mangoes 5-7 days fridge
Melons 5-7 days fridge, best flavor kept room temp
Nectarines 3-5 days fridge
Okra 2-3 days fridge, use it
Onions 4-6 weeks room temp
Peaches 3-5 days fridge, best flavor at room temp
Peas 3-5 days fridge
Plums 3-5 days fridge
Potatoes 1-2 weeks keep room temp
Radishes 10-14 days fridge, use it
Raspberries 2-3 days fridge, best flavor kept room temp
Rosemary 10-14 days fridge
Shallots 1 month room temp
Strawberries 1-2 days room temp, 3-5 days fridge
Summer squash 4-5 days
Tomatillos 2-3 weeks fridge, use it
Tomatoes 1-5 day keep room temp, mealy once refrigerated blech
Watermelons 7-10 days uncut, 1 day cut, best flavor kept room temp, choose it
Zucchini 4-5 days fridge

Download the seasonal fruits and vegetables guide image from The Vintage Mixer to your phone and have a handy reference with you

Download this cute printable from Oh She Glows to keep track of what is the perishable-est.

Not sure how long your veggies will stay good? Try StillTasty.

Epicurious Seasonal produce maps by state
CUESA Seasonal vegetables by month

Use my custom Google search to scan over 150 sites for seasonal, real food recipes for your meal plan.

If you want more tips on how to stretch your produce and food budget check out my More With Less 7 Day Meal Plans.

As always, I sort my recipes by how perishable the ingredients are. I have found I can’t stick to a rigid day-by-day meal plan. I like to stay flexible, and don’t like to waste food.

We do a monthly meal plan since our income is monthly, and do weekly or bi-weekly shopping runs for produce and dairy. For my meal plan I organize my recipes in a 3-tier order, from the most perishable ingredients to the least perishable. So when I do a big shopping trip I get most of the produce we need (not that we’ve ever run out of money for veggies by the end of the month or anything). The first tier is really perishable stuff, like spinach and mushrooms. The second tier will hold a little while, like broccoli. The third tier just uses veggies like carrots and potatoes that will keep a month. Learn more about my Frugal, Flexible Monthly Menu Planning.