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Thursday, June 11, 2009

Frugal Tip: Buy Produce in Season

You can save some serious greenbacks if you purchase your fresh produce in season. Not to mention, it will be a whole lot tastier! If you're in the mood for a vegetable or fruit that is not in season you'll do better to purchases frozen or canned. Not only will it be cheaper, it will be better. This is because they pick and can/freeze produce when it is in season and at its peak -which may or may not be the case with the fresh produce.

Need help knowing when certain veggies/fruits are in season?
You're in luck! Here's a list to get you started:

January:
  • oranges
  • grapefruit
  • lemons
  • tangerines and tangelos
  • lemons
  • papayas
  • cabbage
  • leeks
  • broccoli
  • cauliflower
February:
  • same citrus fruits as above
  • papayas
  • broccoli
  • cauliflower
March:
  • pineapples
  • mangoes
  • broccoli
  • lettuce
April:
  • ALL same as March
  • zucchini
  • rhubarb
  • artichokes
  • asparagus
  • spring peas
May:
  • ALL same vegetables as listed in April
  • pineapples
  • cherries
  • apricots
  • okra
June:
  • watermelon
  • strawberries
  • cantaloupe
  • cherries
  • blueberries
  • peaches
  • apricots
  • corn
  • lettuce
July:
  • watermelon
  • strawberries
  • cantaloupe
  • berries
  • peaches
  • apricots
  • kiwi
  • raspberries
  • plums
  • cucumbers
  • tomatoes
  • summer squash
  • corn
  • green beans
  • lettuce
August:
  • Same as July
  • eggplant
September:
  • grapes
  • pomegranates
  • persimmons
  • eggplants
  • pumpkins
  • tomatoes
  • spinach
  • lettuce
October:
  • cranberries
  • apples
  • pomegranates
  • persimmons
  • pumpkins
November:
  • Same as October but NO apples
  • oranges
  • tangerines
  • pears
  • winter squash
  • sweet potatoes
  • broccoli
  • mushrooms
  • spinach
December:
  • pears
  • oranges
  • tangelos
  • grapefruit
  • tangerines
  • papayas
  • pomegranates
  • sweet potatoes
  • mushrooms
  • broccoli
  • cauliflower
Always a good Deal: potatoes, bananas, celery

Thinking about which produce to purchase organic? See my post from yesterday HERE.

4 Comments:

Cari said...

Do you personally freeze fruits? I've heard you can but have never tried. What is your experience? Thanks:)

Denise Sawyer said...

I freeze bananas. You wouldn't want to defrost and eat but they are great for cooking like banana bread or pancakes, etc.

Denise

Melanie said...

Hey, Denise! Thank you so much for this list - i'm always wondering when different things are in season!! And thanks for the tip about freezing bananas for bread & pancakes. We're horrible about buying them and not eating them and never having them when I'm in the mood to bake. :)

Alissa said...

Almost any fruit can be frozen--think about what frozen fruits (and even vegetables) you see at the grocery store. For berries, freeze on a cookie sheet then throw in a freezer bag; you can freeze berries in a bag, but they will stick together. If you're going to freeze bananas or anything with a similar (unedible) skin, remove the skin before freezing.