Did you know that most fruits and vegetables have a season? Although you can buy most foods year-round, there is usually a time of year when they grow the best. When a fruit or vegetable is in season, the price will be cheaper than other times of year. Compare prices on your favorite fruits and vegetables at the food store as the seasons change, and take advantage of low prices when they are in season.
Buy fruits and vegetables when they are in season and eat them now OR freeze them. Freezing produce helps you save money and have fresh food that tastes great all year long! Canning fruits and vegetables is another way to store produce throughout the year.
Produce that is in season tastes fresher. For example, tomatoes grow best in many parts of the country during the summer and early fall. During the winter, you can still buy tomatoes in the store, but they are grown in greenhouses OR are shipped from other places where the weather is warmer. While we enjoy having tomatoes all year long, the out of season tomatoes often do not taste as good as tomatoes fresh from the field. So if you don’t like tomatoes, try them again when they are in season!
Here are the seasons for some common fruits and vegetables:
- Apples and Pears: Late summer through fall
- Berries: Early to mid summer
- Oranges and Grapefruit: Winter
- Peaches, Nectarines, and Plums: Mid to late summer
- Asparagus: Spring
- Corn (on the cob): Summer through early fall
- Melons: Summer
- Tomatoes, Peppers, and Eggplant: Summer through early fall
- Zucchini and Yellow Squash: Summer through early fall
As you might expect, fruits and vegetables are in season in different parts of the country at different times of year. Learn more about when foods are in season in your local area!
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