What’s in Season?

It can be somewhat tragic when summer ends: no more beach vacations, no BBQ’s, and no more fresh summer produce. Spring and summer are definitely great times for fresh produce like berries or peaches, but fall actually has quite a bit of selection too. I admit I bought a container of blueberries the other day (not exactly a fall food) but I try to stick to what’s in season. Luckily fall isn’t too bad, winter on the other hand can be a little minimal but we’ll deal with that later!

Here’s a general list of what’s in season for November. Depending on your area, some things may be more fresh or really not worth buying in the first place.

• Apples– I’m actually pretty excited about apples being in season. This past year I noticed how expensive they can be when they’re not. My favorite kind of apple is the Pink Lady-perfect blend of sweet and sour! Apples are obviously great in sweet dishes but they can be good in savory ones too! I’ve made stuffing before with sausage, apple, and cranberries, it was really tasty. Apples with pork chops is great too.

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• Artichokes
• Beets
• Bok Choy
• Broccoli-Broccoli is one I pretty much eat year round. I don’t love broccoli, but it’s an easy veggie that’s really healthy and relatively cheap so I keep buying it. My favorite ways to cook it is roasting it in the oven or grilling. It tastes so much better this way and roasting it especially is a great way to eat it in the fall. I also love it raw dipped in ranch but who doesn’t?
• Brussel Sprouts
• Carrots
• Chestnuts
• Cranberries- I guess cranberries are an obvious one too since, ya know, Thanksgiving. I honestly haven’t really eaten cranberries other than in cranberry sauce. That and cranberry and vodka is the extent of my experience with cranberry. Maybe this year I’ll experiment a little? Or just use them as decoration.

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• Fennel
• Kiwi- I always thought kiwis were some tropical fruit that was in season in the summer. Don’t they just seem like they would be? They’re  actually in season from November through May. Who knew (don’t tell me if you knew).
• Lemons
• Orange
• Pears- I love pears. I love pears as a snack, a dessert, in a salad, or in a main course. It’s such a great fruit because it’s not overly sweet or sour, it has a perfect blend of flavors so it’s delicious in a number of different dishes. Since it’s getting chilly outside, poached pears are great as a warm dessert. Throw some ice cream on top and you’re in business!

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• Pomegranate
• Potato
• winter squash
• turnips
• yams- Candied yams at Thanksgiving…need I say more?

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Like I said, depending on where you live, some produce that’s technically in season may not be quite as good. I found a map that tells you exactly what’s in season during any given month based on your area. For example, in Colorado during November, apples, carrots, onions, potatoes, and winter squash are in season. In Oregon on the other hand, apples, cabbage, cauliflower, hazelnuts, potatoes, pumpkins, walnuts, and winter squash are readily available in November. Here’s a link to the map if you want to check out where you live.

One of these days I swear I’ll start canning so we can have fresh produce throughout the winter!

Do you try to shop what’s in season?