Although most of us enjoy the convenience of a global food production and delivery network, focusing on specific fruits and vegetables at specific times of year has two main benefits.
First, you’ll enjoy fresher, tastier ingredients that have traveled less distance from source to plate.
Second, you’ll likely pay less for the pleasure! That’s always helpful if you’re managing a tight household food budget.
If supporting local food producers is important to you as well, you’ll also relish the opportunity to build your meals around the freshest, locally sourced ingredients.
To help you plan ahead, we’ve put together a guide highlighting when some of the most popular fruits and vegetables are at their best – wherever you buy them from.
(Take a look at my juicing and blending archive for inspiration on how to use your fresh fruit and veg.)
United Kingdom – Fruit & Veg Seasonality
Here’s what you can expect to enjoy at different stages in the UK farming calendar.
We’ve highlighted those items that are just coming into season. They’ll be at their best in subsequent months, but this will help you plan for new ingredients as the year progresses.
January
Fruit
Apples, Banana, Bramley Apple, Clementine, Date, Grapefruit, Lemon, Orange, Pear, Pomegranate, Rhubarb
Vegetables
Beetroot, Brussels Sprout, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Celery, Chicory, Jerusalem Artichoke, Kale, Leek, Pak Choi, Parsnip, Purple Broccoli, Radicchio, Salsify, Swede, Potato, Turnip
February
Fruit
Apple, Banana, Bramley Apple, Clementine, Grapefruit, Lemon, Orange, Pomegranate, Rhubarb
Vegetables
Brussels Sprout, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Celery, Chicory, Jerusalem Artichoke, Kale, Leek, Pak Choi, Parsnip, Pepper, Purple Broccoli, Radicchio, Swede, Sweet Potato, Turnip
March
Fruit
Banana, Bramley Apple, Grapefruit, Lemon, Orange, Pomegranate, Rhubarb
Vegetables
Brussels Sprout, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Chicory, Jerusalem Artichoke, Leek, Pak Choi, Parsnip, Pepper, Potato, Purple Broccoli, Radicchio, Spinach, Spring Greens, Sweet Potato, Watercress
April
Fruit
Banana, Grapefruit, Pomegranate, Rhubarb
Vegetables
Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Lettuce, New Potatoes, Pak Choi, Peas, Pepper, Potato, Purple Broccoli, Radicchio, Radish, Spinach, Spring Greens, Watercress
May
Fruit
Apricot, Banana, Blackcurrants, Gooseberry, Grapefruit, Nectarine, Pomegranate, Rhubarb, Strawberry, Tomato
Vegetables
Asparagus, Aubergine, Cabbage, Carrot, Globe Artichoke, Lamb’s Lettuce, Lettuce, New Potatoes, Pak Choi, Peas, Pepper, Potato, Radicchio, Radish, Spinach, Spring Greens, Watercress
June
Fruit
Apricot, Banana, Blackcurrants, Cherry, Gooseberry, Nectarine, Pomegranate, Raspberry, Redcurrant, Rhubarb, Strawberry, Tomato, Watermelon
Vegetables
Asparagus, Aubergine, Basil, Cabbage, Carrot, Courgette, Fennel, Garlic, Globe Artichoke, Lamb’s Lettuce, Lettuce, New Potatoes, Pak Choi, Peas, Pepper, Potato, Radicchio, Radish, Runner Bean, Spinach, Spring Greens, Watercress
July
Fruit
Apricot, Banana, Blackberry, Blackcurrants, Cherry, Fig, Gooseberry, Nectarine, Peach, Pomegranate, Raspberry, Redcurrant, Strawberry, Tomato, Watermelon
Vegetables
Asparagus, Aubergine, Basil, Beetroot, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrot, Celery, Courgette, Fennel, Garlic, Globe Artichoke, Lamb’s Lettuce, Lettuce, Marrow, New Potatoes, Pak Choi, Peas, Pepper, Potato, Radicchio, Radish, Runner Bean, Samphire, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Watercress
August
Fruit
Apricot, Banana, Blackberry, Crab Apple, Damson, Elderberries, Fig, Gooseberry, Nectarine, Peach, Plum, Pomegranate, Raspberry, Redcurrant, Strawberry, Tomato, Watermelon
Vegetables
Aubergine, Basil, Beetroot, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrot, Celery, Courgette, Fennel, Garlic, Globe Artichoke, Lamb’s Lettuce, Lettuce, Marrow, Pak Choi, Peas, Pepper, Radicchio, Radish, Runner Bean, Samphire, Spinach, Sweetcorn, Swiss Chard, Watercress
September
Fruit
Apple, Apricot, Banana, Blackberry, Damson, Elderberry, Fig, Gooseberry, Nectarine, Peach, Pear, Plum, Pomegranate, Quince, Raspberry, Redcurrant, Strawberry, Tomato
Vegetables
Aubergine, Beetroot, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrot, Celeriac, Celery, Courgette, Fennel, Garlic, Globe Artichoke, Kale, Lamb’s Lettuce, Leek, Lettuce, Marrow, Pak Choi, Parsnip, Peas, Pepper, Pumpkin, Radicchio, Radish, Runner Bean, Salsify, Spinach, Sweetcorn, Swiss Chard, Watercress
October
Fruit
Apple, Banana, Blackberry, Cranberry, Date, Elderberry, Fig, Pear, Plum, Pomegranate, Quince, Tomato
Vegetables
Aubergine, Beetroot, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Celeriac, Celery, Garlic, Globe Artichoke, Jerusalem Artichoke, Kale, Lamb’s Lettuce, Leek, Lettuce, Pak Choi, Parsnip, Peas, Pepper, Pumpkin, Radicchio, Radish, Runnerbean, Salsify, Swede, Sweet Potato, Swiss Chard, Turnip
November
Fruit
Apple, Banana, Bramley Apple, Clementine, Cranberry, Date, Pear, Pomegranate, Quince
Vegetables
Beetroot, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Celeriac, Celery, Globe Artichoke, Jerusalem Artichoke, Kale, Lamb’s Lettuce, Leek, Lettuce, Pak Choi, Parsnip, Peas, Pumpkin, Radicchio, Runnerbean, Salsify, Swede, Sweet Potato, Swiss Chard, Turnip
December
Fruit
Apple, Banana, Bramley Apple, Clementine, Cranberry, Date, Grapefruit, Pear, Pomegranate, Quince
Vegetables
Beetroot, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Celery, Jerusalem Artichoke, Kale, Leek, Lettuce, Pak Choi, Parsnip, Pumpkin, Radicchio, Salsify, Swede, Sweet Potato, Turnip
Source: BBC Good Food
United States – Fruit & Veg Seasonality
Things get a little bit more complicated when looking at the seasonality of fruit and vegetables in the United States.
The seasonal growing conditions vary wildly across different regions, and it’s impractical for a guide like this to list them all (and it would be pretty unwieldy to read).
For that reason, we want to highlight an extremely useful resource which breaks everything down in fine detail.
Using the site we’ve to linked above, you’ll be able to sort results by State and season and see what’s best to tuck into at any given time.
Mark’s a lifelong food fanatic and spent ten years working as an entertainment journalist. He now combines his love of food, drink and writing as the founder and editor of Viva Flavor. Read more