How to Pick Fresh Produce in Season

Fruits and vegetables bought in season are more nutritious, better tasting and better for the environment. Fresh fruits and veggies can be hard to keep track of at the grocery, though. While in season produce varies from region to region, the list below will be a helpful guide for getting you your fresh 5 a day.

Fresh produce for the spring:

apricots, artichokes, asparagus, beets, carrots, cherries, lemons, lettuce, new potatoes, onions, oranges, peas, radishes, strawberries, spinach

Fresh produce for the summer:

apples, avocados, blueberries, chiles, corn, cucumbers, grapes, greenbeans, melons, lettuce, nectarines, peaches, peas, radishes, tomatoes, watermelons, zucchini

Fresh produce for the fall:

apples, broccoli, celery, chestnuts, cucumbers, eggplant, figs, grapes, kale, lettuce, onions, pears, peppers, pumpkins, spinach, sweetpotatoes, turnips, zucchini

Fresh produce for the winter:

apples, artichokes, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, grapefruits, kiwi, mandarins, onions, oranges, pears, potatoes, squash, tangerines

- For a large portion of the year, you can't go wrong with an apple.

- Buying from a local farmer's market ensures you are purchasing fresh produce and pumping money back into your local economy. Farmers aren't growing food that is out of season.

- Because different regions have different environments, strawberries may be growing in New York in August but not in California (this is just an example). If you are buying strawberries in California in August, you are then contributing to the distribution of those New York strawberries across the country, which is not environmentally friendly. That's the importance of buying local.

- This list is tough to memorize, and the vegetables start to run together in your mind after awhile. For you iPhone users, think about downloading an application titled "Localvore 1.0." This app is handy for both keeping track of in-season fruits and vegetables, and for finding markets and stores that sell local ingredients.