IN SEASON: June
Seasonal foods, slow rituals, and the medicine of living a little more freely
June is freedom.
This has been true for me ever since I was a little girl.
Freedom from school, freedom from responsibilities, freedom from having to perform. I could do as I pleased, 2 blissful months of running off with my friends, long drives in my dad’s old Chevy Impala, and drinking root beer floats on the porch after a long hot day at the lake.
Now, many years down the road, I am called back to the feelings that this month once held so effortlessly. An introduction to summer, where there is little to worry about and so much to look forward to. Endless heat. Sunshine. Long nights. A break from constantly layering. In fact, the less I have to put on my body the better. June to me represents excitement, nostalgia, simple living, and peace.
Working with the changing seasons has become one of the deepest ways I’ve learned to reconnect with myself. When I honour my shifting energy alongside the natural world, everything seems to move with more ease. It’s become a gateway into self-trust, self-love, and a kind of freedom that touches every part of my life.
Here is how I’m supporting myself throughout the month of June.
Energy
From a seasonal lens, June sits on the cusp of late spring and early summer. A transitional month. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we begin to move more fully into the energy of the heart: joy, connection, vitality, expression, pleasure, creativity.
The stagnation of the winter months has passed, and the clearing energy of spring is coming to an end. June is a month of circulation: physical, emotional, and creative. If stagnation comes up during the month, it will often look like:
irritability
restlessness
feeling emotionally “full”
overheating
digestive sluggishness
insomnia
resentment from overcommitting socially
The antidote: simplicity, hydration, movement, sunlight, honest emotional expression, and creating enough space for you to actually be able to listen to yourself.
Taste
As we move into early summer, traditional medicine systems often emphasize foods that are hydrating, mineral-rich, gently cooling, and full of vitality. June is less about deep cleansing and more about circulation, replenishment, and supporting the heart and nervous system as energy begins moving outward again.
This is the time of year to lean into fresh herbs, juicy produce, lighter meals, and foods that help the body stay cool, energized, and emotionally balanced without becoming depleted.
Bitter
Supports digestion, bile flow, and helps clear internal heat that can build as temperatures rise.
arugula
radicchio
dandelion greens
endive
fresh herbs
Sweet (naturally sweet)
In traditional systems, naturally sweet foods are grounding and nourishing to the nervous system. June’s sweetness tends to come from fruits and vegetables with high water and mineral content rather than heavy foods.
strawberries
cherries
carrots
beets
mango
peas
Aromatic
Aromatic herbs help regulate digestion, move stagnant energy, and uplift the mood.
mint
basil
dill
parsley
cilantro
Sour
Sour flavours feel especially alive in June. They brighten meals, support digestion, and pair beautifully with fresh herbs and greens.
lemon
lime
yogurt
fermented vegetables
raspberry vinaigrettes
Cooling
Not necessarily cold in temperature, but cooling in effect on the body.
cucumber
mint
lettuce
zucchini
coconut water
Seasonal Foods
Here in Montreal, things are actually growing again. It seems that over one particularly rainy and warm week in May, the city turned green. Fresh produce is in abundance at the markets, and new foods are coming into season. Craving fresh, raw, and juicy foods isn’t random—it’s a direct result of our environment.
June is a beautiful month to shift away from heavy survival foods and into foods that feel alive.
FRUITS
strawberries
rhubarb (is EVERYWHERE)
cherries
early raspberries
gooseberries
black currants
VEGETABLES
asparagus
radishes
lettuce
arugula
spinach
peas
green onions
cucumbers
fresh herbs
fiddleheads (early June)
zucchini (late June)
HERBS
mint
basil
dill
parsley
cilantro
lemon balm
nettles
chives
Meals often feel best when they’re colourful, herb-heavy, simple, and alive. Think fresh herbs torn into salads, olive oil and lemon over everything, market strawberries eaten standing in the kitchen, cucumber and mint, grilled vegetables, yogurt sauces, and lighter meals shared slowly outside.
Golden Garden Smoothie
I normally avoid smoothies because they are far too cold for my already cold constitution. They slow down digestion and make me tired. But I begin to crave them again once the seasons start to turn warmer. Here is the smoothie I’ve been coming back to almost daily that is not ice-cold and not overly sweet—just deeply fresh, mineral-rich, and energizing in a very steady way.
Ingredients
1 carrot
½ cup mango
½ cucumber
small handful parsley
small handful mint
2 tbsp walnuts
1 tbsp hemp seeds
½ avocado
juice of ½ lemon
small piece fresh ginger
pinch sea salt
cinnamon or turmeric (optional)
Liquid
room temperature coconut water
orherbal tea (nettles or lemon balm work nicely)
oroat milk for something creamier
Blend until silky.
Lifestyle
Regulate before you socialize
Summer can become extremely dysregulating if you’re constantly on.
Try incorporating a morning walk before checking your phone, eating a grounding meal before social events, leaving space between plans, saying no before resentment builds, and keeping at least one slow evening per week (mine is Sunday).
Put making space for yourself at the top of your list. Regulation and slowness are productive—they need to come first for the rest to flow.
Spend more time outside barefoot
It sounds simple because it is. Your nervous system needs sensory experiences that aren’t digital.
Go for a walk in the grass, surround yourself with water (baths, swims in nature), get enough sunlight, stand still in the wind, listen to the birds, and get some evening fresh air.
June is one of the best months to reconnect to the physical world.
Eat more herbs
Fresh herbs are such a potent medicine this time of year.
I am especially loving:
mint: cooling + digestive
basil: uplifting
parsley: mineral-rich
dill: digestion
lemon balm: calming for an overstimulated nervous system
nettles: deeply nourishing and rebuilding
I swear by these herbs to support me through the month no matter how my body and mind are feeling.
Protect your energy from overconsumption
We tend to overdo it in the summer—rightly so after the long winter months of hibernation. We indulge in too many plans, too many late nights, too much alcohol, social media, and stimulation.
This is the month to ask:
Does this actually energize me, or am I afraid of missing out?
Romanticize ordinary life again
June wants presence.
Open the windows. Walk to the market. Eat fresh fruit in the sun. Read outside. Wear linen. Take the longer route home. Light candles and incense. Listen to music while cooking.
A regulated life is often a deeply sensory one.
Journal Prompts
At the beginning of every month, I like to set an intention and get clear on how I would like the month to feel.
In June, I am connecting with what already makes me feel alive, in a way that feels grounded and confident, not chaotic.
Ask yourself:
What actually makes me feel alive?
Where am I forcing energy instead of following it?
What parts of me want to be seen this summer?
What would pleasure look like if it weren’t performative?
June is the threshold of summer.
The way you move through this month often sets the tone for the season ahead. Use these prompts as an invitation to reconnect with yourself, uncover what’s calling for more attention, and create a summer that feels genuinely yours.
June doesn’t ask for much.
Pause the goal-setting and future planning and instead allow yourself to live in the moment. Practice being carefree. Stop taking everything so seriously. Let yourself have some fun—the kind that feels like messy hair, sun-warmed skin, and long evenings that stretch on forever. Forget about your phone. Put productivity on silent.
That’s where June’s medicine is.
Not in doing more, but in slowing down enough to remember that you are where life is happening. Slow down enough to actually love where you are.
What’s one ritual or intention that you will be taking with you into this new month?