What’s In Season? The Ultimate Seasonal Produce Guide For A Healthy Diet

Tis’ the season for fresh apricots! But wait, is it? In today’s modern world, it’s easy to get any fruit or vegetable at any time—whether it’s in season or not. What we tend to forget is that oftentimes, the foods we are consuming have been transported for miles, days, and in some cases, weeks. How far did those brussels sprouts you’re using to cook dinner had to travel before it hit your grocery store shelves? 

Knowing what’s in season when it comes to your produce is not only healthier and more affordable, but can also taste better than non-seasonal produce. . Do you know what vegetables are in season right now? Do you know what fruit is in season? In this blog, I’ll break down what’s in season, and why eating produce in season is better for your health, your wallet, and the environment. 

Benefits Of Using Seasonal Produce 

Let’s start off by talking about what seasonal food is. Seasonal food is produce that is purchased and consumed at or around the time of harvest. Because the produce is eaten around the time it was harvested, it tends to be fresher, more nutritious, and tastes better. You and your diet will feel better after eating produce in season. Here are just a few of the benefits you can expect when you go the extra mile for your health by switching to seasonal fruits and veggies.

• It’s healthier—When foods are grown out of season, their natural growing rhythms are thrown off. Because these fruits and vegetables aren’t able to grow year-round, they need ripening agents in order to harvest. Ripening agents include chemicals, gases, and excess heat. Certain produce is even coated with an edible film to help protect it. These types of processes allow food to be produced in mass quantities, and protect it from bacteria and rot when transporting them. Food consumed in season is more nutritionally dense, and doesn’t run the risk of losing its freshness during transportation. [1]
• It costs less—When a food is in season there’s an abundance of it. This means it’s usually available at a lower price point. If you buy an Asian pear out of season, for example, and you might get stuck footing the bill for the long car ride that pear had to take in order to get to you.
• It tastes better—When food that isn’t in season is mass-produced, the goal is quantity, not quality. Increasing shelf life with chemicals can affect the flavor of these foods. What’s in season tastes better because they are full of their natural nutrients and bursting with fresh flavor. 
• Environmentally friendly—Eating what’s in season can help save the environment by reducing the long trips needed to transport the produce, by way of truck, plane, or boat. Produce in season helps lower fuel emissions and is more environmentally friendly.
• Supports local farming—Agriculture is an enormous industry and is considered the backbone of our economy. However, when you buy your produce locally, like at the farmer’s market or a Mom and Pop market, for example, you’re stimulating your local economy and supporting your community.

What Vegetables Are In Season?

Okay, now that you’re ready to make the move to eating produce in season, let’s talk about what vegetables are in season. Please keep in mind that when wondering what vegetables are in season, where you live makes a difference. What’s in season for California may not be the same as Oklahoma. 

This list of what vegetables are in season is a good general place to start. 

1. Summer vegetables

• Beets
• Bell peppers
• Butter lettuce
• Chayote squash
• Corn
• Crookneck squash
• Eggplant
• French beans
• Garlic
• Grape tomatoes
• Green beans
• Edamame
• Jalapeno peppers
• Lima beans
• Manoa lettuce
• Ong choy spinach
• Peas
• Radish
• Sugar snap peas
• Summer squash
• Tomatillo
• Tomato
• Yellow potatoes
• Zucchini

2. Fall Vegetables

• Acorn squash
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Butter lettuce
• Buttercup squash
• Butternut squash
• Cauliflower
• Chinese long beans
• Daikon radish
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Jalapeno peppers
• Jerusalem artichoke
• Mushrooms
• Ong choy spinach
• Sweet potatoes
• Swiss chard

3. Winter vegetables

• Brussels sprouts
• Buttercup squash
• Collard greens
• Delicata squash
• Kale
• Leeks
• Sweet potatoes
• Turnips

4. Spring vegetables

• Artichoke
• Asparagus
• Butter lettuce
• Cactus
• Chayote squash
• Collard greens
• Corn
• Fava beans
• Fennel
• Green beans
• Manoa lettuce
• Morel mushrooms
• Mustard greens
• Peas
• Red leaf lettuce
• Snow peas
• Spinach
• Swiss chard
• Vidalia onions
• White asparagus

What Fruit Is In Season?

Now let’s move on to what fruit is in season. Same reminder here when thinking about what fruit is in season, it may vary by location. 

This list of what fruit is in season is a good general place to start. 

1. Summer fruits

• Apricots
• Asian pears
• Black currant
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Boysenberries
• Breadfruit
• Cantelope
• Casaba melon
• Champagne grapes
• Cherries
• Crenshaw melon
• Cucumber
• Durian
• Elderberries
• Grapefruit
• Grapes
• Honeydew melon
• Jackfruit
• Key limes
• Loganberries
• Loquat 
• Lychee
• Mulberries
• Nectarine
• Passion fruit
• Peach
• Persian melon
• Plum
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Watermelon

2. Fall fruits

• Asian pear
• Barbados cherries
• Cactus pear
• Crab apples
• Cranberries
• Date plum
• Grapes
• Guava
• Huckleberry
• Key limes
• Passion fruit
• Pears
• Pineapple
• Pomegranate
• Sugar apple

3. Winter fruits

• Cactus pear
• Clementines
• Date plums
• Dates
• Grapefruit 
• Kiwi
• Mandarin oranges
• Oranges
• Passion fruit
• Pears
• Pomegranate
• Red banana
• Tangerines

4. Spring fruits

• Apricots
• Barbados cherries
• Bitter melon
• Honeydew melon
• Jackfruit
• Lychee 
• Mango
• Orange
• Pineapple
• Strawberries

Farm-to-store means fresh! Maybe you’ve been thinking about making the move to in-season produce for a while now, or maybe this is your first thought about it. No matter the case, eating fruits and vegetables that are in season taste better, are fresher, contain more nutrients, and will cost you less. 

However, if you struggle with eating enough fruits and vegetables in general and eating produce in season just adds another hurdle, adding one scoop of a green superfood powder, like Skinny Greens, to your diet every day will provide vitamins and minerals from 34 different superfoods. 

Eating what’s in season is also an excellent way to help support your local farmers, and who knows, maybe even one day put the kibosh on mass-produced fruits and veggies. I don’t know about you, but I would be perfectly fine without all those chemicals on my food. You’ll feel better when you serve your family fresh produce, and your taste buds will undoubtedly detect the difference!