June marks a real transition in our plates: the last vegetables of spring meet the first flavours of summer. It's a generous, colourful time of year, and above all, it's perfect for eating local, fresh... and smart! Here's a round-up of fruit, vegetables and other seasonal produce to enjoy in June.
🥦 June vegetables: freshness and variety
June is full of crisp, light green vegetables, perfect for simple, colourful, vitamin-rich meals.
- Courgette: It's the big comeback for courgette, sweet, versatile and ideal for both gratins and grated raw vegetables. It's still young in June, with a thin skin and tender flesh.
- Peas: Their season is short, but it's great to shell them yourself and simply steam them with a little butter or fresh mint.
- Green beans: Very common from mid-June, they are a wonderful accompaniment to grilled meats and summer salads.
- Radishes: Crunchy and slightly spicy, they are the perfect accompaniment to light aperitifs and can even be cooked for a change.
- Spinach: Still available at the beginning of the month, it's starting to bow out before the hot weather sets in.
- Artichokes: June is one of the best months to enjoy them fresh.
- Lettuce, batavia, rocket, mesclun: All salad mixes are in the limelight. Now's the time to enjoy them without moderation.
And let's not forget new carrots, beetroot, early turnips, fresh onions, kohlrabi and fennel: all these root vegetables are harvested young, with their tops on, and offer sweeter flavours than in winter.
🍓 June fruit: the first sweet treats of summer
June is THE month when fruit really starts to enchant the taste buds. It's the peak season for a number of dessert stars, which should be eaten without delay.
- Strawberries: These are at their peak. Local, juicy, sweet... now's the time to indulge, whether on their own, in a salad or in a tart.
- Cherries: Bursting with sunshine, they arrive on the shelves in the first few weeks of June, sometimes as early as the end of May. Each variety has its own special characteristics.
- Raspberries: Less early than strawberries, the first local raspberries appear around mid-June. Their flavour is incomparable.
- Rhubarb: Rhubarb will be around for a few more weeks. Its slight acidity makes it an ideal partner for red fruit or compotes.
Some Swiss apricots start to appear at the very end of the month, but the real season will be in July.
🧀 Other seasonal produce and local specialities
Eating in season isn't just about fruit and vegetables. June is also a great time to savour:
- Fresh cheeses: This is the peak season for tommes, seracs, goat's and sheep's cheeses, which are milder in spring as the animals feed on fresh herbs.
- Honey: The first harvests of spring honey are available. Flower honey, rapeseed honey or dandelion honey, each region has its own range.
- Eggs: Always in season, of course, but particularly tasty right now if you buy them direct from small producers.
🌿 Why buy what's in season in June?
Buying seasonal produce means enjoying:
- better prices: fewer middlemen, less storage, less transport;
- better taste: fruit and vegetables harvested when ripe are tastier;
- sustainable approach: less fuel, less packaging, direct support for local producers.
In June, the markets of French-speaking Switzerland are bursting with colour, flavour and opportunities to eat better. Don't hesitate to talk to producers, ask questions, taste... That's what eating locally is all about!