Health.com: Sweet bell peppers are Arizona’s best summer food

Summer heat might cause Valley residents to groan, but it’s a welcome change for the plants producing what Health.com calls Arizona’s best summer food.

Sweet bell peppers become more and more available as the temperatures tick into the triple-digits, and it’s a good thing for consumers looking for a versatile, tasty and healthy treat during the summer.

Peppers love Arizona’s desert heat, and they’re plentiful and available in a kaleidoscope of colors there between July and October. “Sweet bell peppers are a tasty, simple snack, and they’re one of the best sources of vitamin C; you can also cut them in half and fill them with seasoned fish or chicken,” says Katherine Zeratsky, RD, an associate professor of nutrition at the Mayo Clinic.

What other foods become big hits in the summertime across the United States?

California produces 90 percent of all the country’s figs, Alaska unsurprisingly is known for its wild salmon, Delaware leads the way as a producer of apples, Maine makes a living harvesting soft-shell lobsters, and Iowa’s summer treat is — duh — sweet corn.

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