Strawberries are in season in late spring, while melons are in season in summer.
There are several ways to tell if a fruit or vegetable is in season, and there are many reasons to look for the ones that are in season. One of the best ways to find out is to use a fruit and vegetable chart, which will tell you specifically what produce is in season in your part of the world. Also, seasonal fruits and vegetables tend to look great, are usually readily available, and tend to be cheaper.
Asparagus is in season in early spring.
Many products taste better when eaten in season. They tend to be transported over shorter distances because they don’t need to be grown in parts of the world where they are in season. It’s also greener to buy when a fruit or vegetable is in season, because they don’t need to be grown in climate-controlled greenhouses.
Kale, which is in season in the fall.
One of the best ways to find out is to use a fruit and vegetable chart that is relevant to your part of the world. Some supermarkets distribute these charts, and you can usually get a chart through a community supported agriculture (CSA) association. There are also several websites that offer these charts. These charts can also provide information on craft foods such as mushrooms.
New potatoes, which are in season in early spring.
Another clue is the cost and appearance of the product. When a fruit or vegetable is in season, it tends to be plentiful in the supermarket and significantly cheaper than out of season. It can also look particularly fine, suggesting that it was well cultivated and harvested in its heyday. Berries, for example, will be plump and full with no signs of discoloration during the season, while berries out of season may look shriveled, moldy, or soggy. When a vegetable is in season, it tends to be smaller, with a smoother texture and rich flavor, rather than large, woody, and bland.
Apples typically come into season in the fall.
As a general rule, spring is a great time for new, tender fruits and vegetables. New potatoes, radishes, salad greens, and asparagus are in season in early spring. Later in the spring, you’ll start to see peas, onions, rhubarb, and some fruits like strawberries. In summer, squash is in season, along with raspberries, melons, corn, tomatoes, and okra.
Vegetables.
Fall is the time when dark green leafy vegetables like kale and Swiss chard are in season, along with persimmons, grapes, apples, broccoli, and of course squash. In winter, you can find potatoes, beets, dark green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, and seasonal collard greens. Many winter vegetables can be eaten year-round, with the help of a root reservoir for storage.
Okra is usually plentiful in the summer.
Determining whether or not a vegetable is in season also depends on exactly where you live, especially if you want to eat there. As you get closer to the equator, more things become available throughout the year, but you also miss out on things that require frost to ripen properly. In climates further north or further south, fewer foods are available year-round, and dark green leafy vegetables and root vegetables are more abundant and diverse.