Seasonal Produce Availability

A month-by-month chart of when common fruits and vegetables are in season across the United States, so you cook with produce at its flavor and price peak.

Reference | SavorovaS Learn

Produce eaten in season tastes better, costs less, and ships shorter distances. A tomato in January is a pale memory of a tomato in August. This chart shows when each item is in season across the United States, with peak months marked, so you can plan menus around produce at its best.

How to read the chart

Months run left to right, January through December. "X" means the item is in season and widely available at good quality. "P" marks peak season, when supply is highest, prices are lowest, and flavor is at its best. Blank means the item is out of season in most of the country.

Produce	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Asparagus		P	P	X	X
Beets			X	X	X	P	P	X	X
Bell peppers					X	P	P	X	X	X
Blueberries					X	P	P	X
Broccoli	X	X	P	X	X					P	P	X
Brussels sprouts								X	P	P	X	X
Cabbage	P	P	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	P	P	P
Cantaloupe					X	P	P	X
Carrots	X	X	X	X	X	P	P	P	X	X	X	X
Cauliflower								X	P	P	X	X
Celery	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	P	P	P	X
Corn					X	P	P	X
Cucumbers					X	P	P	X
Eggplant							P	P	X
Garlic (fresh)								X	P	P	X
Green beans					X	P	P	X	X
Kale			X	X					X	P	P	X
Lettuce	X	X	X	P	P	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Mushrooms (cultivated)	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Onions (storage)	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	P	P	P	X	X
Peaches					X	P	P	X
Plums					X	P	P	X
Potatoes	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	P	P	X	X	X
Pumpkin / winter squash								X	P	P	X
Radishes			X	P	P	X			X	P	X
Raspberries						X	P	P	X
Spinach	X	X	P	P	X				X	P	X	X
Strawberries				P	P	X	X		X
Summer squash / zucchini					X	P	P	X
Sweet potatoes (fresh)									X	P	P	X
Tomatoes						X	P	P	X	X
Watermelon					X	P	P	X

X = in season | P = peak season | Guide reflects general United States availability. California, Florida, Mexico, and greenhouses extend many seasons; local harvest windows can shift by several weeks north or south.

Why seasonality matters

Flavor and nutrition peak at harvest. Sugars in corn convert to starch within hours of picking, which is why farm-stand corn tastes nothing like supermarket corn shipped three days. In-season produce also moves in volume, so prices drop: strawberries in June can cost half of what they cost in February.

Cooking with the calendar changes how you plan. Spring leans on asparagus, radishes, and greens; summer is corn, tomatoes, stone fruit, and melons; fall brings hard squash, Brussels sprouts, and apples; winter is for storage crops, kale, and citrus. A meal plan that follows the seasons needs less heroic seasoning, because the ingredients bring their own flavor.

Off-season strategies

When an item is out of season, frozen is usually the better substitute. Frozen produce is picked ripe and flash-frozen within hours, which locks in more flavor than "fresh" produce that has spent a week in transit. Frozen peas, spinach, and berries outperform their out-of-season fresh counterparts in most cooked dishes.

For a longer view, watch the edges of the chart: an item entering its season is worth building meals around, while an item leaving it is worth one last dish before you wait for next year.

Keep reading

Basic Kitchen Ratios Weights and Measures Conversions Culinary Glossary The Spice Chart