Everyone who blogs about saving money, eating healthy or just plain cooking tasty meals tells their readers to choose fruits and vegetables that are in season.  But do you really know what’s “in” season throughout the year?

I grew up in the midwest.  I knew that apples were harvested in the fall because we made our yearly trek to the apple orchards in October. You could eat as many as you wanted for free while you were picking.  I always ate so many that I got a stomach ache.  (Very memorable!) Most people know that pumpkins are in season around Halloween because we use them for carving Jack-O-Lanterns.  But besides that, I really didn’t know which fruits and veggies were in season at what time of year.

Since my adulthood and grocery shopping days, all fruits and vegetables seem to be in the grocery stores all year round.  But are they really “in” season?  I thought it would be helpful to give you a list of what is “in” season.  Keep in mind that where ever you live in the world, this list might change some.  It, of course, will be reversed in the Southern Hemisphere.

Fruits and Vegetables in Season – Season by Season

Spring:

• Apricots (start)
• Artichokes
• Arugula
• Asparagus
• Beets
• Carrots
• Chard and other greens (particularly in colder regions)
• Cherries (seasons starts some places at the end of spring)
• Fava beans
• Fennel
• Fiddleheads
• Garlic scapes/green garlic
• Grapefruit
• Green onions/scallions
• Greens (particularly in colder regions)
• Kohlrabi
• Kumquats (end)
• Leeks (end)
• Lemons
• Lettuce
• Morels
• Nettles
• Spring onions
• Navel oranges (end)
• Parsley
• Pea greens
• Peas (garden, snap, snow, etc.)
• Radishes
• Rhubarb
• Scallions/green onions
• Spinach
• Strawberries
• Turnips

Summer:

• Apples (late summer)
• Apricots (early summer)
• Avocados
• Basil
• Beets
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Boysenberries
• Cantaloupes
• Carrots
• Chard
• Cherries
• Chiles, fresh
• Corn
• Cucumbers

Autumn:

• Apples
• Artichokes (second crop)
• Arugula
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Broccoli raabe, rapini
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celeriac/celery root
• Celery
• Chard
• Cranberries
• Edamame
• Eggplant (early fall)
• Fennel
• Figs
• Garlic
• Grapes (early fall)
• Green beans (early fall)
• Horseradish
• Jerusalem artichokes/sunchokes
• Kale
• Kohlrabi (late fall)
• Leeks
• Lemongrass
• Lettuce
• Limes
• Mushrooms (wild)
• Okra (early fall)
• Onions
• Parsnips
• Pears
• Peppers (early fall)
• Persimmons
• Pomegranates
• Potatoes
• Pumpkins
• Quinces
• Radicchio
• Radishes (all types)
• Rapini
• Rutabaga
• Salsify
• Scallions
• Shallots
• Shelling beans (early fall)
• Sunchokes/Jerusalem artichokes
• Sweet potatoes
• Turnips
• Winter squash

Winter:

• Beets
• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cardoons
• Carrots (storage)
• Cauliflower
• Celeriac/celery root
• Celery
• Clementines
• Escarole
• Fennel
• Grapefruit
• Horseradish
• Jerusalem artichokes/sunchokes
• Kale
• Kiwi
• Kohlrabi
• Kumquats (late)
• Leeks
• Lemons
• Mandarins
• Onions (storage)
• Oranges
• Parsnips
• Pommelos
• Potatoes (storage)
• Radishes (large varieties)
• Rutabaga
• Salsify
• Shallots (storage)
• Sunchokes/Jerusalem artichokes
• Sweet Potatoes
• Tangerines
• Winter squash

How is this list helpful?

Knowing which fruits and vegetables are in season gives you a clue as to what produce is likely to be on sale at given time in the year. At the very least, it can help you plan your shopping list — and skip the expensive, out of season items. It can give you ideas for menu planning, as well: there’s a reason that holiday favorites are popular at certain times of the year.

If you want to go all out on saving money on your food, having an idea of what’s in season tells you when to buy produce. While you can buy out of season produce fresh, it may be worth your while to can or preserve some of your favorite fruits and vegetables during the months that they’re cheap.

For anyone trying to buy locally, through farmer’s markets, etc., having a good idea of seasonal produce is also important. You’ll have a better idea of what to expect.

I hope this is helpful when you are shopping.

Happy Shopping!

Debbie  xo