Eating With the Seasons: A Month-by-Month Guide

Food grown for the moment you eat it simply tastes better. When you shop with the seasons, you get produce at its peak flavor, its lowest price, and its shortest trip from soil to plate. Here's a rough guide to what shines through the year near you.

Spring: the green rush After a long winter, the first tender crops arrive — asparagus, peas, radishes, spring onions, and leafy greens like spinach and arugula. Rhubarb and the first strawberries close out the season. Everything is delicate, so cook it lightly and eat it fast.

Summer: peak abundance This is the loud, colorful season. Tomatoes, corn, zucchini, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, and stone fruit all pile up at once, alongside berries and fresh herbs. Buy generously and preserve the overflow — roast, freeze, or turn gluts into sauce.

Autumn: the harvest As the light softens, the hearty crops come in — winter squash, pumpkins, apples, pears, Brussels sprouts, and the last of the roots. These store well and love slow cooking, so it's the season to braise, roast, and bake.

Winter: roots and keepers Winter is quieter but far from empty. Storage crops carry you through: potatoes, carrots, beets, cabbage, onions, garlic, and hardy greens like kale and chard. Citrus brightens the darkest months. Think soups, stews, and roasts.

How to shop the calendar - Let the season lead the menu instead of forcing a recipe that needs out-of-season produce. - Buy a little extra at the peak of each crop and preserve what you can't eat. - Ask your growers what's coming next week — they'll happily tell you.

Shopping this way keeps your meals interesting, your basket affordable, and your food as fresh as it gets.