Most Popular Fruits by Season
When buying fruits, whether simply to eat or to cook with, one should have a good idea about what fruits are in season, and how likely you are to find good ones at your grocery store. Though fruit today is mainly imported from around the world, allowing us to have all kinds of fruit all year round, fruits that are “in-season” will have a stronger, sweeter, and overall better flavor. They’ll also be cheaper! Fruits that are in season can also be inspiration for your latest dish—whether sweet or savory, fruit can add a whole new level to your cuisine.
Fall Fruits
Fall is a wonderful time of year for fruit. From August through late November, you’ll find a wide variety of delicious fruits to choose from. Most popular in the autumn are the pear, pumpkin, sugar apple (as well as a wide variety of other apples), cranberries, and, slightly less common, passion fruit. Something you’ll immediately notice about this list of fruits is that they are all commonly used in Thanksgiving food: pumpkin pie, apple pie, cranberry sauce, etc. Try going to your local farmer’s market to find these fall favorites. They’ll be healthier, tastier, and benefit the local economy.
Winter Fruits
The majority of in-season winter fruits come from the south: in America, places like Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana. For this reason, you’ll find a lot of citrus fruits in season during the wintertime. If you live in the north, you won’t be able to find fruits grown locally during the winter, so stock up on citrus fruits from the south. The most popular and tastiest ones you’ll be able to find include Clementine’s, grapefruit, oranges, and tangerines. While good citrus recipes are hard to come by, you might want to try experimenting with relishes, meringue pies, adding Clementine wedges to salads, or even just eating them plain. Citrus fruits are an excellent source of vitamin C, regardless of how they are eaten.
Spring Fruits
The arrival of spring brings with it a few tasty fruits—and even more ways in which to use them. Pineapple, mango, and honeydew are the delicious and popular fruits that come into season during the springtime. Buy all of these fruits just before they are ripe and allow them to ripen in your home for a few days before eating. An excellent method to use some or even all of these fruits is in a tasty spring smoothie. Simply chop the ingredients into inch-long pieces and blend until smooth. For a creamier taste and thinner texture, add whole milk during the blending process.
Summer Fruits
The warmth and sun of summer make eating fruit plain much more enjoyable than baked goods or other forms of sugar. Of course, plain fruit can easily be made more interesting by dipping it in chocolate or chopping into a fruit salad and sprinkling with sugar. You’ll be able to find tasty varieties of these in season fruits during the summertime: apricots, cantaloupe, nectarines, peaches, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and watermelon. Options for the use of these fruits are nearly endless. A fun summer activity is going blueberry picking with friends or family. Spend the day in the sun, and then use what you picked to make a pie, or just eat plain!
