Seasonal Produce Guide: Fruits and Vegetables
What it means to be “in season”
When you think about a fruit or vegetable being “in season”, think about when that fruit or vegetable can be grown locally, and when its at its peak shortly after harvested. Nowadays, you can get items like strawberries all year long at your supermarket but that’s because they are shipped there from all over the world. So just because you can get your favorite item at the store, doesn’t mean its "in season”. In season refers to the harvest season near where you live. So a better gauge of if an item is in season is your local farmers market or your own garden. Seasonal produce in your area will vary by growing conditions and weather but generally, warmer, more moderate climates will have more in season during the winter.
Why buy fruits and vegetables that are in season?
There are many reasons to buy fresh, in season, produce. Below are some of the primary reasons.
It’s cheaper
Out-of-season produce is shipped all over the world and requires additional costs and resources to ship, store, and, preserve those fruits and vegetables before they get to you. These extra costs are then passed along to you, causing out-of-season fruits and vegetables to cost more. In season produce however, is freshly picked and only needs to be shipped short distances. Also, there is a much greater quantity of in season items resulting is sellers discounting fruits and vegetables to try to sell all of them them before they go bad. With food prices being increasingly high, you can save a lot of money by just opting to buy in season items.
Fresher
In season fruits and vegetables are fresher as they are allowed more time to ripen before being harvested. Out-of-season produce requires them to be picked earlier.
Higher nutrient density
In season fruits and vegetables contain much higher nutrient density and antioxidants.
For example, one study examining the vitamin C content of broccoli found that broccoli grown during its peak fall season (in season) had about twice the vitamin C content compared to shipped-in broccoli grown during the spring (out-of-season).
Vegetables and fruits that are out-of-season locally are picked before fully ripened and then transported great distances to reach consumers. This results in lower nutrient density and antioxidant losses.
Tastes better
Anyone who’s bitten into a freshly picked, in season piece of fruit can tell you how much better in season produce tastes than that half ripened piece of out-of-season fruit you got at the grocery store.
Less chemicals and toxins
Consuming in season fruits and vegetables will help reduce your consumption of harmful pesticides, chemicals and other toxins. Out-of-season produce requires more pesticides and preservatives to preserve them out of season and during their shipping and storage. Do your best to avoid these harmful chemicals and improve your health by consuming more in season fruits and vegetables.
Variety
By eating in season foods, you can avoid always eating the same food and in turn can consume a wider diversity of foods containing a greater variety of nutrients.
Lower Carbon Footprint
The longer storage and transportation times of out-of-season produce require higher energy consumption thus giving out-of-season produce a larger carbon footprint compared to in season produce. Help reduce carbon output by eating more in season fruits and vegetables.
What Fruits and Vegetables are In Season When?
Below is a list of fruits and vegetables and when they are in season. Also an additional great resource for seasonal produce in the US is The Seasonal Food Guide.
Spring
Apples
Apricots
Asparagus
Avocados
Bananas
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Celery
Collard Greens
Garlic
Herbs
Kale
Kiwifruit
Lemons
Lettuce
Limes
Mushrooms
Onions
Peas
Pineapples
Radishes
Rhubarb
Spinach
Strawberries
Swiss Chard
Turnips
Summer
Apples
Apricots
Avocados
Bananas
Beets
Bell Peppers
Blackberries
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Carrots
Celery
Cherries
Corn
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Garlic
Green Beans
Herbs
Honeydew Melon
Lemons
Lima Beans
Limes
Mangos
Okra
Peaches
Plums
Raspberries
Strawberries
Summer Squash
Tomatillos
Tomatoes
Watermelon
Zucchini
Fall
Apples
Bananas
Beets
Bell Peppers
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Collard Greens
Cranberries
Garlic
Ginger
Grapes
Green Beans
Herbs
Kale
Kiwifruit
Lemons
Lettuce
Limes
Mangos
Mushrooms
Onions
Parsnips
Pears
Peas
Pineapples
Potatoes
Pumpkin
Radishes
Raspberries
Rutabagas
Spinach
Sweet Potatoes & Yams
Swiss Chard
Turnips
Winter Squash
Winter
Apples
Avocados
Bananas
Beets
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Celery
Collard Greens
Grapefruit
Herbs
Kale
Kiwifruit
Leeks
Lemons
Limes
Onions
Oranges
Parsnips
Pears
Pineapples
Potatoes
Pumpkin
Rutabagas
Sweet Potatoes & Yams
Swiss Chard
Turnips
Winter Squash
