The summer table is unusually kind to stone patients. Melons measure near zero oxalate and are high in water — a hydrating snack that pulls double duty. Peaches, corn, and tomatoes are all low. Grapes and apples are low. The exceptions are the berries — blueberries at 27 mg per cup and blackberries at 45 mg sit in the caution range — and any dried fruit, which concentrates oxalate by removing water. Values can vary somewhat by variety and growing conditions, and research suggests preparation matters more than variety for most foods.
| Food | Oxalate (mg) | Serving | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watermelon, fresh | 1 | 1 slice | Safe |
| Melons, including cantaloupe | 2 | 1 cup cubed | Safe |
| Corn on the cob | 2 | 1 ear | Safe |
| Peaches, raw or canned | 3 | 1/2 cup | Safe |
| Tomatoes, raw | 17 | 1 cup | Safe |
| Grapes, green or red | 3 | 1 cup | Safe |
| Blueberries, fresh | 27 | 1 cup | Caution |
| Blackberries, fresh | 45 | 1 cup | Caution |
Most summer produce can be eaten freely. Watermelon and cantaloupe are near-zero and hydrating. Corn measures 2 mg per ear. Peaches, tomatoes, and grapes are all low. The practical rule for the season: fill the plate with the low members freely, portion the berries, and keep the dried versions — dried apricots, raisins, banana chips — in measured amounts, because drying concentrates both oxalate and sugar.
The season also solves the hydration problem partly: melons and tomatoes are water-rich foods that contribute fluid alongside the water glass. A summer plate of corn, tomato salad, and melon for dessert is a stone-friendly meal that also handles part of the fluid target.
Peak-season produce is cheaper, which makes it the right time to build the pantry: freeze corn and peaches for the fall, and enjoy the melons while they last. The stone-aware version of preservation is blanching before freezing (removes soluble oxalate where it matters) and portioning the dried forms.
August's abundance can become the fall pantry with one measured step: blanching before freezing. Corn kernels, peach slices, and green beans frozen at peak hold their low-oxalate profile through the winter, and blanching (brief boiling then an ice-water shock) removes soluble oxalate where it matters. The stone-aware version of preservation is simple — freeze the low-oxalate rows freely, and label the higher-oxalate harvests for measured use. A freezer full of summer corn and peaches is a stone-safe hedge against the pricier, processed options of the off-season.
One caution on the drying trend: dehydrators are popular for summer produce, and dried fruit concentrates both oxalate and sugar. A few dried apricots or raisins are fine in portions, but the dried fruit leather made from berries and high-oxalate fruits deserves the measured eye. The season's gift is the fresh form — while it lasts,
A final note on the season's berries: portioning is the whole story. A cup of blueberries at 27 mg and blackberries at 45 mg are caution-range on their own, but a half-cup mixed with yogurt brings the serving into a reasonable range while the yogurt's calcium binds the oxalate in the same meal. The pairing rule — berries with dairy — turns the season's one caution item into a manageable part of the summer table,
And a final thought on the season as a whole: August is the one month where the stone diet can feel like abundance rather than restriction. The produce aisle is full of low-oxalate stars, the farmer's market is at its peak, and the prices are the lowest of the year. The measured response is to enjoy it — the season is short, and the freezer is the bridge to the months when the same foods cost more and taste less.
And a note on the farmer's market and pick-your-own farms: the season is also the chance to try the produce that is hardest to find fresh at other times of year — melons at their peak, sweet corn picked that morning, peaches that actually taste like peaches. Each of these is low-oxalate, which means the tasting table at the farm stand is one of the few places a stone patient can sample freely. The measured rule for the harvest is the same as the database: The farmer's market is also the place where the season's exceptions become visible — the berry stand is the caution section, and the melon and corn tables are the safe zone. A quick mental map of the market makes the whole trip a measured decision, and the stone-safe choices are the ones in season, The season's logic is the stone diet's logic: the safest choices are the abundant ones, and abundance is the easiest version of prevention.which means they are also the cheapest.enjoy the low members freely, portion the berries, and bring the surplus home to the freezer.
The stone-safe summer table is one of the easiest versions of the diet there is. and it is the same rule that governs every higher-oxalate food in the database. the stone-safe choice is to eat it fresh and freeze the surplus. And because the season's stars are low-oxalate, the summer table is one of the few times a stone diet can relax into abundance.In portions, yes. Strawberries and raspberries are low (6 mg and 21 mg per cup), while blueberries (27 mg) and blackberries (45 mg) sit in the caution range. A portioned cup with calcium-rich yogurt is a classic safe pairing.
Excellent. Watermelon measures about 1 mg of oxalate per slice and is mostly water — it hydrates and adds almost nothing to the oxalate load. It is one of the best summer foods for stone patients.
Dried fruit concentrates oxalate and sugar by removing water. Dried apricots measure about 12 mg per five pieces and raisins 6 mg per quarter-cup — moderate but easy to overeat. Portion the dried versions and prefer fresh while the season lasts.
And for those who preserve the harvest, one label habit: mark the frozen bags with the oxalate rating so the winter pantry reads like the summer table — the low-oxalate rows used freely, the berries portioned. A labeled freezer is a stone-safe freezer, and August is the month to set it up.
See how oxalate values are measured and verified on our data methodology page.