Eating Local – Know Your Seasons

(Photo: Kelly Hunt) Before you start to eat local, you are going to need to know what is generally “in season” around Southwestern Ontario so that you can make informed choices and get the best tasting fruit or veg right at its prime. This little list I have put together is pretty general, and it should be noted that even though all of these fruits and veggies are grown in Ontario, a lot of the winter season (Nov – April) that is available to us – actually gets picked at its prime and then stored – so that the farmers can still sell what stores that they have to us throughout the winter. Thank you farmers! There are an increasing amount of fruits and veggies that are now being grown in ontario greenhouses throughout the year (yum!) but I have not included them in this list. MAY Asparagus Fiddleheads Lettuce Radishes Rhubarb Spinach JUNE Arugula Asparagus Beans Beets Broccoli Cabbage Cauliflower Cherries Cucumber Herbs Kohlrabi Lettuce Peas Radicchio Radishes Rhubarb Spinach Strawberries JULY Apricots Beans Beets Blueberries Broccoli Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celery Chard Cherries Corn Cucumber Gooseberries Kohlrabi Lettuce Onions Peaches Peas Peppers Plums Potatoes Radicchio Radishes Rapini Raspberries Spinach Squash Strawberries Tomatoes Zucchini AUGUST Apples Apricots Beans Beets Blueberries Broccoli Cabbage Cantaloupe Carrots Cauliflower Celery Chard Corn Cucumber Eggplant Garlic Grapes Kale Kohlrabi Leeks Lettuce Nectarines Onions Peaches Pears Peas Peppers Plums Potatoes Radicchio Radishes Rapini Raspberries Rutabaga Shallots Spinach Squash Tomatoes Tomatillos Turnips Watermelon Zucchini SEPTEMBER Apples Beans Beets Blueberries Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Cabbage Cantaloupe Carrots Cauliflower Celery Chard Corn Cucumber Eggplant Grapes Kale Kohlrabi Leeks Lettuce Nectarines Onions Parsnips Peaches Pears Peas Peppers Plums Potatoes Radishes Raspberries Rutabaga Shallots Squash Sweet Potatoes Tomatoes Tomatillos Turnips Watermelon Zucchini OCTOBER Apples Beans Beets Broccoli Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celeriac Celery Chard Cranberries Corn Cucumber Eggplant Grapes Kale Leeks Lettuce Onions Parsnips Pears Peppers Potatoes Rutabaga Shallots Squash Sweet Potatoes Tomatoes Tomatillos Turnips Zucchini NOVEMBER (mostly stored) Apples Beets Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celeriac Celery Chard Cranberries Garlic Leeks Onions Parsnips Pears Potatoes Rutabaga Radishes Squash Turnips DECEMBER (mostly stored) Apples Brussels sprouts Cabbage Carrots Celeriac Celery Garlic Leeks Onions Parsnips Potatoes Rutabaga Shallots Sweet Potatoes Turnips Squash JANUARY (mostly stored) Apples Beets Brussels sprouts Cabbage Carrots Celeriac Garlic Leeks Onions Parsnips Potatoes Rutabaga Shallots Sweet Potatoes Turnips FEBRUARY (mostly stored) Apples Beets Cabbage Carrots Celeriac Garlic Leeks Onions Parsnips Potatoes Rutabaga Shallots Sweet Potatoes Turnips MARCH (mostly stored) Apples Beets Cabbage Carrots Celeriac Garlic Onions Parsnips Potatoes Rutabaga Shallots Sweet Potatoes APRIL (mostly stored) Apples Beets Cabbage Carrots Celeriac Onions Parsnips Potatoes Rutabaga Shallots Sweet Potatoes  Read More