Buying Seasonal Produce: A Guide

By WE on January 20, 2012 • ( 0 )

Yesterday, following my own advice, I picked up two fruits that I don’t routinely buy. The first was a bag of bright orange, organic Minneolas. My second purchase was an Asian pear, an apple-shaped, light brown fruit.

Minneolas are a cross between grapefruits and tangerines, and look like an orange with a protruding nipple. I ate one of the Minneolas as soon as I got home. The Minneolas had a delightfully overpowering orange scent, and the fruit tasted absolutely delicious — flavorful and sweet. With its soft tangerine-like flesh, it was also much easier to peel than a typical orange. At some point I realized I have eaten Minneolas before, known by their more common name: tangelos. They are also sometimes called honeybells.

Today, I sliced open the Asian pear. It was crisp and juicy, with a grainy Jicama-like texture. Unfortunately, the taste was flat and bland. I ate an Asian pear for the first time a couple years ago, during an October visit with a friend. You might think it strange that I remember, but that Asian pear was pretty incredible. (It was also quite the memorable visit with my friend, a vegetarian visiting the South for the first time.) We had sliced an enormous Asian pear and some cheese as a snack, and the flavor of the pear had been AMAZING! That October pear had been much larger than the current small pear, and incomparably more flavorful.

Some quick research on seasonal produce turned up information I wish I’d had at the grocery store. Minneolas are hitting their seasonal spike right now. They’re a winter fruit with their highest peak in January. (Fun fact: Minneolas tend to have plentiful seasons every other year, so buy them up this year or you may be waiting until 2014 for the same quality!) Asian pears — not to be confused with traditional pears — are long past their seasonal prime. Unlike their traditional cousins, Asian pears are a summer fruit. I must have had the fortune of catching a late bloomer that October, though there’s little hope of an Asian pear like that during January in the heart of winter.

Buying locally-grown produce is not always easy, especially for someone who lives in the Midwest and loves tropical fruits, like mangos and strawberries. According to this fascinating interactive map from Epicurious, the “growing season” in my state is currently dormant. While I appreciate the merits of locally-grown, I’m not about to forego fresh fruit due to a dormant growing season. Now buying produce in season — wherever it’s grown — is something I can do. Why buy produce in season? For quality, taste, and price. If only grocery stores labeled seasonal fruits and vegetables!

Since most grocery stores don’t label their seasonal produce, print out this list of seasonal produce and take it with you. Although the seasonal produce may vary depending where you live, I have compiled the list below to get you started, thanks to help from the blog Wisebread and the information available at FruitsInfo.com.

WINTER PRODUCE: DECEMBER, JANUARY, FEBRUARY

Fruits: oranges (traditional and mandarin), grapefruits, tangelos, tangerines, lemons, papayas, pomegranates, bananas, kumquats, persimmons, pears (traditional)

Veggies: sweet potatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages, leeks

SPRING PRODUCE: MARCH, APRIL, MAY

Fruits: pineapples, mangos, apricots (spring/summer), cherries (spring/summer), blueberries, nectarines, currants, figs

Veggies: lettuce, broccoli, zucchini, artichokes, rhubarb, asparagus, spring peas, okra

SUMMER PRODUCE: JUNE, JULY, AUGUST

Fruits: apricots (spring/summer, cherries (spring/summer), strawberries, blueberries, peaches, watermelon, cantaloupe, kiwi, raspberries, plums, blackberries, honeydew, Asian pears (summer/fall)

Veggies: lettuce, corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, summer squash, green beans, eggplant