What Makes Seasonal Produces Sooooo Special?

In-season is worth it

You ever see those sandal-wearin' folk 🧘 trouncing around like they're on a treasure hunt at the Farmer's Market gasping for joy because they found a cummyquat or something? And at first you're like "chill buddy it's not that deep"... but secretly you're like "I too wish I had that much conviction in my quest for local produce 😔"

Well if that's you, hold on to your socks and prepare to have them blown off and immediately replaced by sandals. You can and will shop with that level of excitement this summer.

What does seasonal produce even mean? 📚

Fruits and veggies grow better in certain parts of the year due to cyclical factors like temperature or rainfall. When a fruit or veggie is “in season,” it means that because of the time of year, its growing conditions are ideal.

But can’t I get most foods year round? 🤔

Yes, mostly thanks to an expanding global supply chain and some admirable nerds who figured out stuff like climate-controlled greenhouses, refrigerated trucks, and soilless growing techniques (hydroponics). Imported produce and technological advancement allows us to buy fruits and veggies in areas that could never naturally sustain those plants.

So it seems like seasonal produce doesn’t matter 🚨

Wrong! (We set you up for that). Because it takes so long for a piece of produce to go from in the ground to on a shelf (harvesting, storage, transportation, etc.), fruits and veggies that have to travel are usually picked long before they get ripe. But true seasonal produce gets harvested only once it's ripe, and then gets sold in the same area it was grown.

Does that affect flavor? 👀

Oh boy does it. Fruits or veggies that ripen on their “vine” consistently beat their counterparts in controlled taste tests AND contain more micronutrients. This is because once they are removed from their plant, they will slowly start to eat their own sugars and nutrients to survive (basically).

Where do I find this stuff? 🛒

Unfortunately, just because a piece of produce is in season doesn’t mean all of the ones at your local grocery store are seasonal. If there’s no obvious indication that it's seasonal, like a sign or a display, it’s probably not. Your best bet are large grocery stores with a wide variety or farmer’s markets. We recommend farmer’s markets because they make you feel like you are in the nice part of a Rom-Com and because supporting local farmers is good for everyone.

A final note

Here is a list of fruits and veggies that will be considerably tastier, juicier, and sweeter than they will be at any other point in the year.

We urge you to try at least one seasonal piece of produce this summer, as it will make you fall in love with food a little more 🙂

This is a general summer list, but some of these foods have different seasons depending on where you live in the U.S., so we like to use this resource for a detailed calendar.