Happy Labor Day Weekend!

 The end of summer is ripe with fantastic fruits and vegetables that are farm fresh, either from your local farmers’ market or grocery store produce aisle. And not only are the current crops wallet-friendly, they also taste their juiciest best! Here’s my list of the five best fruits and veggies you can buy fresh right now:

1.   Apples. Crispy, crunchy, sweet, and tangy, apples top the list of most folks’ favorite fruits. For the next few months, you’re sure to find your preferred variety readily available, and at its peak of ripeness. Scrub the skin clean and bite right in, or slice a few and add ‘em to a leafy green salad.

2.   Blueberries. These tasty treats are loaded with antioxidants that’ll help keep you in the pink of health. Eat them by the handful, or whirl them into a frozen yogurt smoothie.

3.   Cucumbers. Sure, you can find cukes year-round at the supermarket, but bagging them at your local farmers’ market makes ‘em taste extra fresh. Add thin slices to your sandwich to add zest and crunch, or toss them in a cold pasta salad for a late summer side dish.

4.   Nectarines. Summer’s sunniest delights are so juicy, sweet, and delicious, it’s hard to believe they’re good for you, too. But they are! Nectarines are loaded with beta-carotene, fiber, and vitamins A and C. Take a bite and get the juices flowing! Or finely chop one and stir the morsels into fiery salsa for a sweet-hot sensation that’s out of this world.

5.   Tomatoes. There’s nothing quite like biting into a tomato that’s still warm from the garden. But don’t worry if you didn’t grow your own this summer—just head out to the farmers’ market and bring home a bagful. Then slice ‘em, dice ‘em, and let ‘em brighten up your salads, pastas, and burgers. Yum, yum!