July 1, 2011 | 2 minute read

One of my weekend activities: harvesting a bounty of cancer-fighting fruits from a nearby Maryland farm. I plan to have a kitchen full of peaches, cherries and blueberries (and whatever vegetables they have for sale) by Saturday noon.

Visiting a “u-pick” farm can be a great way to put several of AICR’s Recommendations for Cancer Prevention into action. You’ll get great tasting fresh vegetables and fruit along with some physical activity. (Be sure to take along and use sunscreen.)

Here’s what the AICR expert report says about fruits, non-starchy vegetables (bell peppers, summer squash and tomatoes are all coming into season) and physical activity and cancer prevention:

Fruits and non-starchy vegetables probably reduce the risk of these cancers: mouth/pharynx, larynx, esophageal, stomach and lung(fruit).

Physical activity lowers risk for colorectal cancer and probably does so for postmenopausal breast and endometrial cancers.

Want to know more about the cancer fighting substances in fruit? Check the latest issue of HealthTalk.

So add some red (cherries), white (white peaches) and blue (blueberries) to your July 4th backyard party – grab a container, some sunscreen and water and invite family and friends for a “harvest it yourself” outing.

Here are some recipes for in-season fruit:

Grilled Fruit with Strawberry Dip

Shortcake with Berries

Cherry Salsa

Oatmeal Peach Muffins

Let us know if you did any fruit or vegetable harvesting this weekend.