Seasonal Baking; How To Preserve Summer's Bounty

And why the local farmers market is a pastry chef's best friend all summer long.

An Ode to the Market

The farmers market is my all-time favorite place to be in the summer. I love looking at all of the vendors and appreciating all of the hard work that they put into presenting their product and advertising their stalls. The market is an amazing amalgamation of neighborliness, with farmers, crafters, creators, and locals coming together to celebrate the bounty of the community. I love to see the smiles on the faces around me as people share a sweet treat or gush over the new crocheted craft a vendor has recently finished. For me, the farmers market represents peak summer; the thought of breathtaking July bouquets and bursting produce is what helps get me through the cold and blustery Northeast winters.

Not only is the farmer’s market one of my favorite places to be in my personal life, but the local produce also provides a welcome chance for exploration in my professional life. Recipe testing is my favorite part of being a pastry chef, and the abundance of fresh fruit in the summer ignites a creative flame in my brain that cannot be put out until the colder months. This truly is the best time of year to experiment with new recipes, especially those that help elongate the sunny and sweet flavors of the season. I love to use fresh fruit in pies and tarts, in frozen desserts like semifreddo, and as a topping for cakes with cream.

Shopping in Season

Shopping in season means that you are purchasing produce, preferably local, that has just been grown; picked at the peak of ripeness and brought to markets and shops in your local community, ready for the consumer’s perusal. Shopping in season is the best way to ensure that your produce is not only the freshest and highest quality it can be, but also the least expensive it will be all year. If you are trying to save a dime on ingredients, consider revamping your at-home dinner menu to feature as many in season ingredients as possible.

As a pastry chef, it is my job to know not only what is available at any time of year at the local market, but the quality of the product. Are strawberries coming out of season, or will I be able to purchase them at their peak for a few more weeks? The peaches are available, but are they as sweet as they would be next time I visit the market? Frequent market shoppers have a baseline knowledge of what *should* be available on any given day, but the true test is knowing what is best on any given day. This knowledge comes with time and many frequent trips to your local market.

July is the one of the best times of the year for fresh produce. In July, you can find any berry you want, including strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. Stone fruit is ripe and ready, featuring the sweetness of peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots, mangoes, and cherries. Melons are also a common summer choice; watermelon and cantaloupe are staples of the season and are fan-favorites for a reason.

Preserving Summer’s Bounty: My 3 Go-To Methods for Storing Fruit and Reducing Waste

After your trip to the market, you may have gone a little overboard (read “excessive, but it’s fine, right?”). That’s okay; it happens to the best of us. Here are my three favorite methods for taking advantage of the best fruit that summer has to offer while also making sure that nothing goes to waste.

1. Fill up your freezer.

   While this may seem obvious, there are a few different ways to store product in your freezer for later use. For starters, you can store whole or slightly processed fruits for later. For berries, I recommend washing and freezing whole on a sheet pan (for strawberries, take the stems off first) and then transfer to an airtight container or Ziplock bag. For stone fruit, I recommend taking the pit out and either cutting into slices or chunks (your preference) to be frozen for later. Any of these fruits can be use for smoothies, sauces, or in baked goods like muffins or pies whenever you are missing the warmer months. Additionally, any fruit can be pureed and then frozen if you prefer. This is a perfect option for pastry chefs who are looking to reduce waste and often purchase fruit purees for their menu items.

Tip: if you take the tops off of your strawberries before freezing, don't throw them out! Instead, put them in a pot with equal parts sugar and water to make strawberry simple syrup. It's the perfect addition to a homemade matcha, cocktail, or over vanilla ice cream with more fresh strawberries on top. 

2. Time for jam!

   Making jam is one of the easiest ways to preserve fruit. This homemade jam recipe lasts in the refrigerator for three weeks or it can be frozen. For even longer storage, canning is a fantastic method for preserving fresh fruit jams and jellies, though this will take more time and planning. You can put this jam on toast, oatmeal, yogurt, or as a dip or spread for a cheeseboard.

Fruit Jam
Yield: 2 Quarts

4.5 lbs fruit of choice, processed (no stems or pits, seeds okay)
750g sugar
3T lemon juice
1T citric acid (optional, for flavor)
1tsp-1T pectin* (optional, for thickness)

Add all ingredients to a heavy bottomed pot. Boil for 1-2 hours on low heat, until thickened. To test if the jam is ready, pour a small amount on a dish and pop it in the freezer. The jam will "set"; it will form a film or skin at a cool temperature when it's ready. The longer the jam is boiled for, the thicker the end texture will be.

*Pectin is a naturally occurring thickener in fruit, often found in the skin. Fruits like blueberries contain lots of natural pectin, and it is not necessary to add more to the jam. Fruits that have a higher water content, like apricots or peaches, will require more pectin. To use pectin, first mix it into the sugar before adding it to the pot so it does not clump, then boil with the rest of the ingredients as normal. 

3. Bake with it!

   Fresh fruit can be used in a large variety of recipes. For a few options, check out my Wild Blueberry Cardamom Coffee Cake or my Almond Pound Cake with Seasonal Fruit. In addition to these options, fruit can often be added into muffin and cake batters even if the current recipe does not call for fruit. A nut muffin can always use a flavor boost from a berry, or a loaf cake can be spiced up with stone fruit. The kitchen can be your playground with a little bit of recipe testing and a whole lot of fun.

I hope that you are able to take advantage of the rest of market season and enjoy the best fruits that summer has to offer, especially if they are in your baked goods. Until next time!