Advertisement
Seasonal Availability of Fruit
Appears in
Published 2008
The following seasonal availability chart is for the most commonly used fruits in the United States. It provides general information on their seasonal availability and storage.
| Fruit | Peak Month(s) | Special Notes |
| Apples: Some of the most common varieties: Braeburn, Cameo, Cortland, Empire, Fuji, Gala, Ginger Gold, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Gravenstein, Honeycrisp, Idared, Jonagold, Jonathan, McIntosh, Newton Pippin, Northern Spy, Pink Lady, Pink Pearl, Red Delicious, Rome Beauty | August-December; ideal quality is in the fall (September to the end of November) | Some varieties such as Granny Smiths are available year-round. Many varieties only thrive during the fall. Have a 90- to 240-day shelf life under refrigeration. It is not recommended to store with ethylene-sensitive items (such as bananas). Peeled and cored, apples freeze well, but might become bloated and mealy and are more suitable for cooking and baking. Purée freezes very well. |
| Apricots | May–August | Apricots are the first of the stone fruits to appear in early summer. Apricots are best ripened at room temperature in a single layer rather than piled up. Ripen well in paper bags. Ethylene producer. Apricots become mealy if exposed to high temperatures. Only wash just before using them, otherwise they will get damaged. Shelf life: 7–14 days in refrigeration, 1–2 days once ripe. Freeze well if they are to be puréed, cooked, or baked. Purée freezes well, whole fruit does not. |
| Asian Pears | July–October | Odor sensitive (will absorb strong odors). Shelf life: 10–15 days in refrigeration. Ethylene sensitive (do not store with ethylene-producing items). Purée freezes well, whole fruit does not. |
Avocados (Hass) Other varieties: Fuerte, MacArthur, Bacon, Zutano, Pinkerton, Gwen, and Reed |
Hass: In California, April–November (ideal in warmer months: May–September). Other varieties' seasons will vary. | Grown in warm climates, such as California, Florida, and Mexico. Fruit only ripens once it is picked. Hass avocado skin will turn black once it ripens. Other varieties’ skin will remain green. The fruit produces ethylene gas, but is often treated with additional ethylene gas to speed up the ripening process. Shelf life: 14–28 days, stored between 4°C / 40°F and 13°C / 55°F, 85% humidity. Does not freeze well. |
Bananas (yellow) Other varieties: Hawaiian plantain, Burrow, Dominique, Manzano/apple, Nino, plantain/Macho, red, yellow small |
Year-round | Grown in warm climates, mostly in other countries, such as Ecuador, Costa Rica, Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, and Honduras. Gray-yellow or dull bananas have been improperly handled and must be rejected or disposed of. Produces large amounts of ethylene gas, therefore the best method for ripening is to leave them in a paper bag or a cardboard box. Bananas are often used to ripen other fruits by placing them together in a semi-ventilated container. Shelf life once ripened: 3–7 days, depending on environmental conditions. Storing temperature: 13°C / 56°F to 14°C / 58°F. Ripening temperature: 15°C / 60°F to 18°C / 65°F, 90 to 95% relative humidity. Purée freezes well, whole fruit does not. |
| Black Currants, Pink Currants, Red Currants, and White Currants | Single growth in the spring | Grow in warm climates that do not exceed 30°C / 85°F. Not recommended to eat raw (highly acidic) and without the addition of sugar. Shelf life: 7–10 days in refrigeration. All currants, whole or puréed, freeze very well. |
| Blackberries | June–September | Good-quality blackberries will be bright, clean, and fresh, with good color and plumpness. Berries with caps attached may be immature. Overripe berries are dull, soft, and may leak moisture. Shelf life: 2–3 days in refrigeration. Whole fruit and purée freeze very well. |
| Blueberries | Mid July–early September (Northeast and Northwest U.S. coast mostly) | There are many varieties of blueberries, but the most common is the Bluecrop variety. Other popular varieties are Berkeley, Elliot, and Jersey. This fruit is ideally ripened on the plant. Off-season they are imported from South America, but they are inferior in quality. Size does not denote quality of ripeness. Shelf life: 10–18 days in refrigeration. Whole fruit and purée freeze very well. |
| Cactus Pear (a.k.a. prickly pear) | Late June–September | Mostly imported from Mexico. It is the fruit of the nopal cactus. It is covered in a prickly skin. The flesh is very moist and contains many seeds. It is available in a deep red and a bright green, with no significant variations in flavor. It ripens best on the plant. Shelf life: 10–12 days in refrigeration. Flesh freezes well, but it is recommended to crush the fruit and strain out the seeds before doing so. Not recommended for cooking or baking. |
| Cherries (Bing, Rainier, Lambert, and Van, among others) | Mid May to late August | Cherries with stems have a longer shelf life than those that don't. They are also odor sensitive and will absorb strong off-flavors. Slight brown spotting indicates high sugar content, not spoilage. Cherries that are mahogany or reddish-brown are considered the best tasting. Shelf life: 10–21 days in refrigeration. Whole fruit, purée, and juice freeze very well. |
| Citrus Fruit | Citrus can last for a week at room temperature, and 14–28 days refrigerated. For ideal flavor extraction, it is recommended to not only use the juice of the fruit, but the zest as well. A good idea is to scrape the skin of the citrus with a sugar cube to absorb the oils, then make a simple syrup with this sugar, and finally add this syrup to the fruit juice to make the sorbet base. Candied citrus zest also provides another flavor and textural dimension to a frozen dessert. Juice and fruit supremes freeze very well. | |
| Blood Oranges | Mid December–March | |
| Clementines | November–January | |
| Grapefruits (pink and white) | Available year-round with the peak from January through April. Florida and Texas provide the bulk of the winter crop, while Arizona and California produce the bulk of the spring and summer supply. | |
| Key Limes | Year-round | |
| Kumquats | Winter | |
| Lemons | Year-round; peak is April–July | |
| Limes | Year-round | |
| Mandarins (Kinnow, Royal) | January-April | |
| Meyer Lemons | November–March (varies, depending on what coast they grown on) | |
| Navel Oranges | November–May; peak is January, February, and March | |
| Pomelos | January-February | |
| Satsumas | Winter–spring | |
| Tangelos (a.k.a. Minneola) | December–February | |
| Tangerines (Fairchild, Algerian, and Dancy) | November–January | |
| Valencia Oranges | Year-round; peak is May, June, and July | |
| Coconuts | Year-round, since they are grown around the world | Available from tropical areas around the world. Many pastry chefs opt for factory-made purées because of the time-consuming task of extracting the flesh from the coconut, puréeing, and straining. Coconuts ripen best on the tree, and can take anywhere from 2 months for small varieties to up to a year for larger varieties. They are one of the few fruits that travel well (because of their hard shell). Shelf life: 7–14 days after peak ripening in refrigeration. Purée and flesh (no skin) freeze very well. |
| Cranberries | October–December | The majority of cranberries are grown in Massachusetts and Oregon. Shelf life: 3–4 months in refrigeration. Poorly colored fruit can pick up better coloring if held for a few weeks at 7°C / 45°F to 10°C / 50°F. They contain a high amount of pectin, a natural stabilizer, and therefore make for very smooth sorbets without the addition of any other stabilizers. Freeze very well, whole or puréed. |
| Figs (Black Mission, Calimyrna, and Kadota, among others) | June–October | Very susceptible to odor absorption. Recommended to store in a single layer on paper towel-lined sheet pans. Ripen well at room temperature. Shelf life: 10–12 days. Puréed and whole fruit freeze well. |
| Gooseberries (American: Pixwell, Downing, and Poorman; European: Fredonia) | June–August; peak is in July | Related to currants. The Poorman variety (green in color) is the most recommended for dessert. Not cultivated commercially on a large scale. Fruit is very delicate, and some say it is an acquired taste because of its predominant tart taste. Shelf life: 7–10 days refrigerated. Whole fruit and purée freeze well. |
Grapes Common domestic varieties: Ribier, Exotic, Niabell, Fantasy, Maroo, Flame, Ruby, Emperatriz, Crimson, Majestic, Cardinal, Emperor, Queen, Christmas Rose, Red Globe, Perlette, Red Flame, Thompson, Sugarone, Autumn, and Concord |
Most domestic varieties are available from May to January. Concord grapes, though, are available from the end of August to the beginning of October. Wine-producing grapes (Muscat, Shiraz, pinot noir, etc.) are harvested in the fall. | Ripening ends after harvest. A chalky bloom look is a sign of freshness. It is not recommended to purée grapes in a blender because of their seeds and acidic skin, but to crush them and then strain them through a fine-mesh strainer. For grapes with intense flavor, it is a good idea to place them in a pot with water (enough to fill the pot one-quarter full), bring them to a boil, turn the heat down, and simmer for 20 minutes, then turn the heat off and let them sit for 30 minutes, then pass through a fine-mesh strainer. Shelf life: 56–180 days in refrigeration. They will absorb strong odors produced by leeks and onions. Whole fruit and fruit juice freeze well. |
| Guavas | In warmer regions guavas will ripen all year. Mostly available in California. | Varieties differ widely in flavor and seediness. The better varieties are soft when ripe, and creamy in texture with a rind that softens to be fully edible. The flesh may be white, pink, yellow, or red. The sweet, musky odor is pungent and penetrating. The seeds are numerous but small and, in good varieties, fully edible. There is a distinctive change in the color and aroma of the guava that has ripened. For the best flavor, allow fruit to ripen on the tree. They can also be picked green-mature and allowed to ripen off the tree at room temperature. Placing the fruit in a brown paper bag with a banana or apple will hasten ripening. Mature green fruit can be stored for 2–5 weeks in refrigeration. Fruit that has changed color cannot be stored for any extended periods. It bruises easily and will quickly deteriorate or rot. Whole fruit and fruit purée freeze well. |
| Kiwis (green and golden varieties) | California kiwis are available from November to the end of May. | Ethylene sensitive when underripe, ethylene producer once ripe. Green kiwis have a shelf life of 28 days refrigerated and 3–7 days at room temperature. Gold kiwis last up to 14 days refrigerated and 3–4 days at room temperature. Fruit ripens very well once picked from the plant. It is recommended to ripen at room temperature and not in refrigeration. Fruit with wet spots must be discarded. Purée freezes well, whole fruit does not. |
| Litchis | From Asia: May–July From Mexico: July–August From Florida: late May–early August | The best-quality litchi is from southern China, where it originated. Ideally, litchis are sold in bundles, but loose ones are more economical. The skin should be bright red, and the inside should yield to the touch. A telltale sign of a ripe litchi is when the spiny skin “flattens” and becomes smooth. Avoid litchis that leak. Shelf life: 5–7 days refrigerated. Close relatives to the litchi include rambutans and loganberries, similar in look and composition, but distinct in flavor. Fruit flesh (no seeds or skin) and puréed flesh will freeze well. |
| Mangoes (Varieties: Kent, |
July Keitt: July–September Kent: July–August Manila: June–August Haden: July–September Ataulfo: June–August |
Close to 500 varieties exist worldwide. Most of the mangoes sold in the U.S. are imported from Mexico. Florida is the largest producer in the country. Ripeness of mangoes can be determined by either smelling or squeezing. A ripe mango will have a full, fruity aroma emanating from the stem end. Mangoes can be considered ready to eat when slightly soft to the touch and yielding to gentle pressure. Shelf life: 1–2 weeks. Ideally stored at 12°C / 55°F. The best way to ripen a mango is at room temperature. Purée freezes well; whole fruit does not. |
| Melons: Ambrosia, Canary, cantaloupe, Casaba, Charentais, Crane, Crenshaw, Galia, Honeydew, Juan Canary, Persian, and Santa Claus | Summer | Ethylene producers. It is recommended to ripen at room temperature and process immediately once the melon has reached its peak. It is possible to refrigerate melons, but if exposed to low temperatures for long periods of time, they will suffer chilling injury. Ripeness is hard to determine without looking inside the fruit, but there is a characteristic floral aroma and the blossom end yields slightly to the touch. If stem end is rough with portions of the stem remaining, the melon was harvested prematurely. Cut fruit absorbs odor and flavors quickly. It must be refrigerated at this point, because bacteria thrive in melon flesh netting. Purée freezes well; whole fruit does not. |
| Papayas | Available year-round | Not a significant crop grown in the continental United States. The majority are grown in Hawaii and imported from Mexico and Brazil. Ethylene producer. They ripen in 2–3 days when held at temperatures between 13°C / 55°F and 18°C / 65°F. Never store an under-ripe papaya below 7°C / 45°F/ because the ripening process will stop. Once ripened, the fruit can be refrigerated. A papaya is ripe when the skin is soft and the flesh yields slightly to the touch. Purée freezes well; whole fruit does not. |
| Passion Fruits | Available year-round | Grown in subtropical climates in the Caribbean and Mexico. Some growers in California have been successful with this crop. The fruit ripens best off the plant. A passion fruit is ripe when the skin is deeply wrinkled. Smooth-skinned fruits should be left to ripen at room temperature. The taste is typically abrasively tart and is combined with sugar or sweeter fruit juices, such as orange juice. The seeds are edible and provide a pleasant texture. Juice freezes well; whole fruit does not. |
| Peaches (There are close to 150 varieties.) Subcategory: nectarines. Similar yet smaller and sweeter. Lack “fuzz” on the skin. | May–August; peak is June–July | From the stone fruit family. Best when ripened on the tree. Once picked, they will soften as they mature, making them ideal at this point. They will be soft, plump, and mildly fragrant at the stem end. This condition is not only ideal for eating, but for blanching as well to remove the skin. When under-ripe, the skin will only come off if peeled. Stone fruit, except cherries, should always be skinned to be puréed and used in a frozen dessert. Any tone of green coloring on the skin is a sign of under-ripeness, and the fruit will never ripen at this point if it has been picked from the tree. To store, as with any stone fruit, lay on a sheet pan lined with paper towels in a single layer. Shelf life: 3–4 days if ripe. Store between 10°C / 51°F and 25°C / 77°F. Ethylene producer. Purée freezes well, whole fruit does not. |
| Pears (More than 250 varieties available.) Most common: Anjou, Bartlett, Bosc, Comice, Forelle, Packham, Seckel and Williams | Late summer to mid–fall | Ripen well off the tree. Ideal ripening temperature is 15°C / 60°F to 21°C / 70°F. Shelf life once ripened: 3–4 days. Once ripened can be refrigerated, but it is recommended to either consume or process (purée, cook, or bake) when peak ripeness occurs. Ethylene and odor producer. Ethylene and odor sensitive. When ripe, skin will be soft and flesh will yield to the touch. It will have a floral aroma. Avoid pears with severe browning in the skin and flesh. They will have a fermented flavor. Purée freezes well, but whole fruit will suffer freezer damage. |
Persimmon Varieties: Astringent: Eureka, Hachiya, Honan Red, Saijo, Tamopan, Tanenashi, and Truimph Non-Astringent: Fuyu, Gosho, Imoto, Izu, Jiro, Maekawajiro, Okugosho, and Suruga |
Late fall-early winter | Persimmons can be classified into two general categories: those that bear astringent fruit until they are soft-ripe and those that bear non-astringent fruits. Astringent varieties are harvested when they are hard but fully colored. They will soften on the tree and improve in quality, but much will be lost to birds. Astringent persimmons will ripen off the tree if stored at room temperature. Non-astringent persimmons are ready to harvest when they are fully colored, but for best flavor, they should be allowed to soften slightly after harvest. Mature, hard astringent persimmons can be stored in the refrigerator for at least 1 month. They can also be frozen for 6–8 months. Non-astringent persimmons can be stored for a short period of time at room temperature. Whole fruit does not freeze well, purée does. |
| Pineapples | Year-round | Pineapples available in the U.S. are grown in Hawaii, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Mexico. Fruit with deep yellow shell color has a higher sugar content because it is picked when the fruit has almost completely grown. Can be ripened at 10°C / 50°F to 13°C / 56°F. Once ripe it is recommended to refrigerate or process. Shelf life is 14–36 days refrigerated if under-ripe. Odor sensitive. Juice freezes well. |
Plums (There are close to 50 cataloged varieties.) Subcategory: Pluots. A hybrid of plums and apricots. |
Summer–early fall | Part of the stone fruit family. Ripen well off the tree between 10°C / 51°F and 25°C / 77°F, but will not increase in sweetness, therefore it is best to let the fruit ripen on the tree. Once ripened they should be consumed, processed, or refrigerated. Shelf life: 10–14 days when under-ripe, 2–3 days once ripe. If the fruit yields to gentle pressure, it is ripe. Purée freezes well, whole fruit does not. |
Pomegranates Wonderful is by far the most commercially available variety. Other varieties include: Granada, Ruby Red, Foothill Early, and Spanish Sweet. |
Late summer (August)-early fall | The best-quality fruit can be found in California, Arizona, and Northern Mexico. Fruit should be harvested as it reaches full maturity. It will hold for 2–3 weeks in refrigeration. To juice pomegranates, it is not recommended to use a blender, but to crush them through a fine-mesh strainer. As labor intensive as it is, the result is an extraordinary bright red juice. Juice and seeds freeze well. |
| Pumpkins (There are close to 50 commercially available varieties.) | Harvested from late August–late October. Available until December. | Although classified as gourds, they are technically fruit, and are closely related to cucumbers, squash, and watermelon. They are best harvested when the fruit is fully colored. Smaller varieties have much more and better flavor than larger varieties, which are more suitable for jack-o-lanterns than for eating. Pumpkins need to be cooked to be edible. The seeds are a valued by-product that can be dried, salted, toasted, or candied. Whole pumpkins can be stored in a cool, dry place for up to 1 month. Temperatures above 15°C / 60°F will make the flesh stringy. If space allows, pumpkins can be refrigerated for up to 2 months, but relative moisture should be below 70%. Canned pumpkin is convenient but not necessarily better than fresh. Whole fruit does not freeze well, but purée does. |
| Raspberries (There are more than 24 commercially available varieties of raspberries.) Reveille is one of the most popular varieties. Black and yellow raspberries are considered a subcategory, and each one has its own number of varieties, but most of them are the result of botanical engineering. | Late spring–summer | Avoid unusually large raspberries. This is a telltale sign of growth hormones and botanical engineering; while the fruit may look appealing, the taste is exceedingly tart, with little to no raspberry flavor. Smaller fruit will have a more pronounced flavor. Use raspberries that have been grown locally, because once they are picked they start losing flavor and have a very short shelf life (2–3 days), even in refrigeration. Ripe berries are plump, firm, dry, and deeply colored. As with any other berry, it is recommended to store raspberries on a paper towel-lined sheet pan in a single layer in refrigeration. It is not recommended to wash raspberries because they will get severely damaged. Purée and whole fruit freeze well. |
| Strawberries (There are more than 30 commercially available varieties.) | Late April–July | As with raspberries, smaller fruit will have a better and more pronounced flavor than unnaturally large ones. They are available year-round, but this is not a good thing. Since they have a short shelf life (5–7 days), they are often picked underripe so they can travel for long periods of time with little to no damage. Berries do not improve off the plant. Ripe berries are firm, well shaped, dry, have a uniform deep red skin (no green), and should still have the green cap attached. They are best left to ripen on the plant, then picked and processed as soon as possible. Strawberries should be washed before using, preferably with the caps still on. Once washed, the caps should be taken off. Purée and whole fruit freezes well. |
Tomatoes (There are more than 250 varieties commercially available.) |
Midsummer in the West, late summer in the East | It is imperative to use tomatoes only when they are in season. Off-season tomatoes may look good, but flavor is watered down and the texture will be mealy. Heirloom tomatoes make for excellent savory sorbets and granités. To extract the most flavor from them, it is recommended to purée the fruit and then place it in a cheesecloth over a fine-mesh strainer for 24 hours in refrigeration to extract all the liquid. This is known as “tomato water.” Some chefs employ salt to extract even more liquid from tomatoes, but this practice will be detrimental to sorbet and granité. Tomatoes ripen well on and off the vine at room temperature that does not exceed 27°C / 80°F. Refrigerating tomatoes is not recommended. Purée and juice freeze well. Whole fruit does not. |
| Watermelons | Summer | Even though it is part of the melon family, it has so many varieties and such a distinct flavor it deserves to be explained on its own. If held at room temperature for about a week after harvesting, flavor and color can improve, but then they should be stored between 10°C / 50°F and 16°C / 60°F, where they can last 2–3 weeks. Any lower and they lose color, any higher and they decay quickly. Once the fruit has been picked, its sugar content will not increase. Ethylene sensitive. The best clue to ripeness is the rind. It should be free of cracks or soft spots and neither very shiny nor very dull. The bottom should be yellowish in color, not greenish-white. If the stem is still attached, it should look dry and brown; if the stem is green, the melon was picked too soon. Fruit juice and whole fruit minus the rind freeze well. |
Become a Premium Member to access this page
Unlimited, ad-free access to hundreds of the world’s best cookbooks
Over 150,000 recipes with thousands more added every month
Recommended by leading chefs and food writers
Powerful search filters to match your tastes
Create collections and add reviews or private notes to any recipe
Swipe to browse each cookbook from cover-to-cover
Manage your subscription via the My Membership page
Already a member?
Best value
Advertisement
Advertisement
The licensor does not allow printing of this title