Fall Harvest of Produce


Hard to believe that August is almost over, isn't it?  Well, it is.  And it's time to start thinking of what's seasonal for fall.                                                                                                                    

It can be confusing this day and time to walk into a grocery and plan to buy only seasonal produce.  You'll find all sorts of things out of season...How can you tell if it's currently in season?  First look at the country of origin.  If it's outside the U.S. and below the southern equator, it's in season for that part of the world but not ours.  This list should help keep you aware of what's in season for the next three months.

Fall- September, October, November
Apples
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage
Chinese Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery Root
Chicory
Cranberries
Cucumbers
Dates
Fennel
Grapes
Greens
Head or Iceberg Lettuce
Leaf Lettuce
Mushrooms
Nuts
Okra
Mandarin Oranges
Pears
Chile Peppers
Sweet Peppers
Persimmons
Pomegranates
Quince
Shallots
Spinach
Winter Squash
Star Fruit
Sweet Potatoes

As you can see there are a variety of fruits and vegetables, enough to allow plenty of variety in any diet.  Remember that seasonal foods are usually locally grown or provided by growers in nearby surrounding areas and are always the better priced foods because they are available in quantity.

I've already seen plenty of fresh U.S. grapes in the markets as well as fresh mandarins.  Aldi has mushrooms at $.79/punnet this week, too.  Keep your list handy and see if you can spot all the great seasonal buys in the sales ads.

3 comments:

Debbie said...

Thank you for that list! We try to eat buy fresh food seasonally and also stock the freezer so we can have it out of season also at the best prices.

Anonymous said...

Although Susie suggested cooking two meats in a big crock pot a couple post's comment back I am going to thank her here where she might see it. Thank you ! ;-) Our family is small now and my big crock pot could hold two heats. Why didn't I think of this already?? Being able to cook two different meats at a time will be great!

I admit I will miss all the summer fruits that will soon be out of season. Peaches and nectarines....and watermelon especially!! :-) I think eating the local foods in season makes them all the much better when that season hits. They are ripened naturally in your area and taste their best too. Having them year round even we could, does not make them as special. You really look forward to their season.
When I froze or canned the Bonanza peaches they tasted as good either way as they did from the tree. That is ok but then you only g et a bowl of them or a pie and then again none for a long time. A real treat.
Remember the story of the kid who had Christmas every day and after a while the shine of it wore off !!
Late November we can pick the first of the navel oranges and I am already getting hungry for them!

That mushroom price is very good!! When I can get them very low priced or marked down..many times looking as fresh as the ones just put out,...I get them and dry them and use them in cooking. Avoiding the usual high price of them. Sarah

Anonymous said...

Star fruit is a new one to me! Sarah