Summer is here and what better way to enjoy endless, balmy days than by tucking into delicious, home grown litchis.

Bursting with flavour, succulently sweet and the perfect ingredient in seasonal salads, fruit dishes and desserts, juicy litchis epitomise the South African summer.

According to the South African Litchi Growers’ Association (SALGA), the litchi is a tropical fruit tree endemic to Asian countries such as China, India, Indonesia and Thailand, but is also grown all over the world including Mexico and southern Africa. It’s a medium-sized evergreen tree that yields masses of pretty white flowers and of course, highly fragranced delectable fruit.

This fruit not only tastes great, but is good for you too. Litchis are an excellent source of vitamin C, containing on average 72mg of vitamin C per 100 grams of fruit. This means just nine litchis, an average of 200 grams, yield the daily recommended vitamin C allowance for adults. They’re also low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium.

Litchis are incredibly versatile, great for the whole family and can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes (check out our recipe section for exciting litchi recipes). Add a touch of the exotic to your summer dining table with these mouth-watering litchi meal ideas:

• Litchi and ginger sorbet for starters
• Honey and mustard chicken with litchi puree, or glazed litchis and pork chops for mains
• Jellied litchi parfait or litchi cheesecake for dessert
• Litchi and yoghurt smoothies for breakfast on the go
• Seasonal fruit salad with litchis for a lunch-time snack
• Grilled chicken, potatoes, peas, cooked macaroni, cucumber and litchi salad with freshly squeezed lemon juice for a summer salad with a difference
• Quench your thirst with a litchi and mint cooler, litchi iced tea or even a litchi martini
• You can also add handfuls of ripe, de-stoned litchis to kiddies’ lunchboxes for school-time treats

South African litchis are available from October to March, peaking in the height of summer over December and January.

Look for litchis that are deep red in colour and that have smooth, rounded bumps on the skin, as this indicates the fruit is mature and has swelled with juice. This is important as litchis do not continue to ripen once picked and unripe litchis are bitter to the taste. Ripe litchis also have quite a tough outer skin, so take care when cutting!