Sunday, February 6, 2011

Fresh Vegetables Available in Northern Hemisphere by Month

Many people have heard the advice to eat seasonally and/or locally. However, most of us are so far removed from our food source, that we have no idea what this really means. Below is a list organized by month that details the fresh vegetables that are available during each month of the year. Please note that this list may vary according to which specific agricultural zone you live in, but it's a good start for most individuals who live in the Northern Hemisphere. Additionally, please note that some vegetables, such as potatoes, onions, and winter squash, store well and can be available all winter long.

Jan - Mar

Kale


April

Asparagus

Swiss chard


May

Asparagus

Sugar peas

Lettuce (leaf)

Spinach

Wild greens

Comfrey

Turnip greens


June

Asparagus

Beans

Peppers

Lettuce

Peas

Zucchini

New Zealand spinach

Onions

Broccoli

Kohlrabi

Cabbage

July

Asparagus

Beans

Peppers

Lettuce

Peas

Zucchini

New Zealand spinach

Onions

Broccoli

Kohlrabi

Cabbage

Corn

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Carrots

Beets

August

Beans

Peppers

Lettuce

Zucchini

New Zealand spinach

Onions

Broccoli

Kohlrabi

Cabbage

Corn

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Carrots

Beets

September

Corn

Tomatoes

Peppers

Lettuce

Eggplant

Broccoli

Cabbage

Spinach

Zucchini

Cucumbers

Potatoes

Escarole

Chinese cabbage

Carrots

Beets


October

Tomatoes

Peppers

Lettuce

Eggplant

Broccoli

Cabbage

Spinach

Zucchini

Cucumbers

Potatoes

Escarole

Chinese cabbage

Carrots

Beets

Winter squash

Parsnips

Salsify

Brussels sprouts

Kale

Collards

Turnips

Leeks

Rutabagas

Winter radishes

Sweet potatoes

Cauliflower

Beans


November

Parsnips

Salsify

Brussels sprouts

Kale

Collards

Turnips

Leeks

Head lettuce

Spinach

Rutabagas

Winter radishes

Rutabagas

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Escarole

Chinese cabbage

Regular cabbage

Carrots


December

Leeks

Kale

Chinese cabbage

Parsnips

Carrots

Salsify

Brussels sprouts

3 comments:

  1. Joseph and I are going to start making a greater effort to eat locally produced food and cut back on some of the out of season staples that we've become accustomed to. We were inspired by reading "Animal Vegetable Miracle," so hopefully that will help us stick with it and follow the growing seasons more faithfully with our diets.

    Emma
    City Roots, Country Life

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  2. Boy, the pickings are sure slim Jan-March, aren't they? Never been a fan of Kale....is there something I don't know about preparing it?
    I've just recently used up the last of my potatoes in storage-a bit earlier this year (not so great of a harvest, or we're using more than usual?). We also freeze a lot of produce, but I am SO ready for the fresh produce again!

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  3. Yes, the pickings are slim in the winter. We're just starting to seed a few cold weather crops indoors now. Hopefully, Spring won't be too hot or too cold, and we'll get a nice harvest. We get so much snow on the mountain that we can't even grow kale right now. I have a kale recipe that I like, so I'll try to find it for you. You can also hold over pumpkins, winter squash, carrots, parsnips, and onions in cold storage in the winter.

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