Fruit Season Calendar
| Fruit Type | Start Month | End Month |
|---|---|---|
| Ruby Red Grapefruit | November | May |
| Honeybells | February | April |
| Navel Oranges | November | May |
| Mandarin Oranges | December | January |
| Tangerines | November | May |
| Clementines | December | March |
| Cara Cara Oranges | January | April |
| Comice Pears | October | February |
| Bartlett Pears | September | October |
| Holiday Red Pears | October | January |
| D'Anjou Pears | October | January |
| Fuji Apples | October | January |
| Georgia Peaches | June | July |
| Bing Cherries | June | July |
| Tropical Mangoes | June | August |
| Texas 1015 Onions | May | July |
| Empress Plums | September | September |
| Nectarines | May | September |
Ruby Red Grapefruit
Available November through May. Named for the brilliant color of its flesh, the Ruby Red Grapefruit is a variety that appeared randomly on a Texas grapefruit tree in 1929. Unlike white grapefruits, the Ruby Red contains high amounts of lycopene, an antioxidant beneficial in fighting free radicals. It’s the presence of lycopene that gives this citrus fruit’s peel a rosy blush and makes its flesh sparkling red, as well as sweetening the classic grapefruit’s characteristic tartness to a refreshing tanginess.
In addition to lycopene, Ruby Red Grapefruit is also rich in vitamins C and A as well as fiber and water, making it a healthy, filling and low-calorie treat. Its natural sweetness precludes the need to add sugar, and it’s a great addition to salads, smoothies, and other recipes.
Honeybells
Available in February through April. Also known as Tangelos, Citrus Honeybells are a hybrid of a sweet Dancy Tangerine and tangy Duncan Grapefruit, Honeybells get their name from their honey-sweet flavor and unique, bell-like shape. Honeybells are a good source of vitamin C, folic acid, and potassium. Most Honeybells are grown along the Indian River in Florida (though some Honeybell groves can be found in California, Arizona, and Texas) and have a short growing season.
Navel Oranges
Available November through May. The classic or Washington Navel Orange is a seedless citrus fruit that gets its name from the undeveloped twin fruit found opposite its stem end. Classified as a sweet orange, the Navel Orange is a medium-sized fruit with pebbly orange skin and tangy-sweet flesh. The most popular winter orange in the world, Navel Oranges are rich in Vitamin C, fiber, and thiamin.
The Navel Orange is believed to have originated as a bud sport in a Brazilian sweet orange grove. Because the fruit is seedless, the fruit must be cultivated through grafting. FUN FACT: the color referred to as orange is named for the fruit, not the fruit for the color.
Tangerines
Available November through May. Tangerines are a type of mandarin. Smaller than other citrus fruits (like the Navel Orange), Tangerines have deep, red-orange skins that are thin and separate easily from the fruit. The flesh is lower in acid than most citrus fruits, making it sweeter and less tangy, and has few to no seeds. Tangerines are an excellent source of vitamins A and C, and their small size and sweetness make them a popular snack with children or in packed lunches.
Cara Cara Oranges
Available January through April. Cara Cara Oranges are a type of Navel Orange, which means they are seedless. Unlike the classic Navel Orange, the Cara Cara’s flesh is pinkish-red in color (similar to a pink grapefruit) due to the carotenoid lycopene (the same antioxidant found in tomatoes). The flesh also has lower acidity than that of a classic Navel, meaning its taste is sweeter and less tangy with undertones reminiscent of red berries or sweet cherries. Cara Caras are even higher in vitamins C and A than classic Navels as well good sources of fiber, folate, potassium, and lycopene. The flesh makes an attractive addition to salads, salsas, and seafood dishes.
Mandarins
Available December through January. Also known as mandarin oranges, Mandarins are small, orange-colored citrus fruits. They have a strong, sweet flavor and thin skins that separate easily from the flesh. Mandarins are usually eaten fresh out of hand or added to salads. There are several varieties of Mandarin, including the Clementine, the Honey Mandarin, the Satsuma, and the Sol Zest™ Mandarin. Smaller than other Mandarins, Honey Mandarins are known for their honey-orange coloring and honey-sweet flavor, while the Sol Zest™ Mandarin is seedless or has very few seeds. All varieties of Mandarin are rich in vitamin C, fiber, and other essential nutrients.
The Mandarin is one of the original citrus species. Through selective breeding practices and natural hybridization, Mandarins are the ancestor of many hybrid citrus fruits, including the Navel Orange, the Honeybell, and the Tangerine (among others).
Clementines
Available December through March. Like the Tangerine, the citrus Clementine is another variety of mandarin. The smallest member of the mandarin family, Clementines are even sweeter than Tangerines, with a brighter orange color and smoother skin that’s easier to peel. Clementines are low in calories and high in vitamin C and other antioxidants. They are an excellent snack eaten fresh out of hand and can be used in salads and other recipes.
Bartlett Pears
Available in September and October. Named for the Massachusetts merchant who introduced this variety in the United States, Bartlett Pears are orchard fruits that have a classic, “true pear” shape and light green skins that turn yellow as they ripen. Fragrant and juicy with a smooth, buttery texture and sweet taste, Bartlett Pears hold their shape well, making them popular for cooking and canning. Bartlett Pears are an excellent source of dietary fiber, potassium and vitamin C.
Comice Pears
Available October through January. Comice Pears are known for being the sweetest and juiciest of pear varieties. These orchard fruits have a mellow, earthy flavor and ivory skin with a creamy, silky texture. Comice Pears are easily identified by their squat, bulbous shape and yellow-green skins that blush red where the sun has touched them during growth. This fragrant pear is best eaten fresh, paired with creamy cheeses, added to salads or used in recipes that call for them to be pureed. Their tender, delicate flesh is not suited to baking or cooking as it does not hold its shape well. Comice Pears are rich in vitamin C, pectin and fiber.
D’Anjou Pears
Available October through January. Named after the Anjou region in France, D’Anjou Pears are a winter pear variety. D’Anjou Pears have an oval shape and green or red skins. Known for being exceedingly juicy, D’Anjou Pears have a mild, sweet flavor with just a hint of tanginess. Their dense, firm texture makes them ideal for cooking, baking, and poaching as they hold their shape well. They’re also great for snacking and sliced into salads. D’Anjou Pears are a good source of vitamins A and C, fiber, and beneficial plant compounds.
Holiday Red Pears
Available October through January. Showstoppers during the fall and holiday season, Starkrimson Pears’ fiery red skins conceal a sweet, juicy flesh with a floral essence that’s truly delightful. The tender flesh of Starkrimson Pears makes them more suitable for fresh applications, and you’ll love the gorgeous pop of color the brilliant skins add to charcuterie boards, salads, and bowls of cereal. Starkrimson Pears are good sources of vitamins C and K as well as boron.
Fuji Apples
Available October through January. One of the world’s most popular and widely cultivated fruits, the Apple is a round pome fruit about 5-10 cm in diameter with sweet, firm flesh and thin, edible skins that vary in color (usually red, green, or yellow) depending on the variety. Apples are harvested during the Fall in the US and can be eaten fresh out of hand or used in a wide variety of sweet and savory dishes. Apples are an excellent source of fiber, vitamins C and E, and polyphenols.
Texas 1015 Onions
Available May through July. The Lone Star-grown Texas 1015 Onion is so-named because it’s planted around October 15 to be ready for a late-spring harvest. So mild and sweet it doesn’t cause eye irritation, The Texas 1015 Onion was chosen as The Blue Ribbon Raw Onion at the National Sweet Onion Challenge. In addition to their wonderful flavor, these onions are quite large (about four inches in diameter), making them ideal for onion rings or as toppings for hamburgers and steaks. They are also wonderful in salads, where their flavor will enhance but not overpower the other ingredients. Texas 1015 Sweet Onions can be difficult to find due to their limited availability.
Georgia Peaches
Available in June and July. Georgia Peaches are renowned for their intense sweetness, juiciness and superb flavor – all of which they owe to Georgia’s red clay soil, intense humidity and perfect mix of rain and sunshine. Georgia Peaches are drupes (stone fruits) and are very fragrant with thin, fuzzy, golden-yellow skins. Georgia Peaches are wonderful eaten fresh out of hand, on your morning cereal, sliced into salads, grilled or used in cobblers. Peaches are rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, polyphenols and carotenoids.
Bing Cherries
Available in June and July. Developed by horticulturist Seth Lewelling in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, the Bing Cherry (which Lewelling named after his nursery’s foreman, Ah Bing), is the world’s most famous sweet cherry. Plump, shiny and dark red in color, Bing Cherries are firm with a crisp texture. A “drupe” or stone fruit, Bing Cherries have a very sweet flavor with just a hint of tanginess that makes them perfect for eating fresh out of hand, as well as in a variety of dishes from sweet to savory. Bing Cherries are high in antioxidants, fiber and vitamin C.
Empress Plums
Available in September. Also known as Italian Prune Plums, Empress Plums are a European-style stone fruit with a distinct oval shape and smooth, purple skins. The yellow flesh is sweet, juicy yet firm, with a hint of tartness to balance the sweetness. The firm texture of Empress Plums makes them the go-to variety for baking, drying, or making into jams or jellies. They are also wonderful eaten fresh out of hand. Empress Plums are a good source of potassium, calcium, and vitamins C, A, and K. Empress Plums are available for only a short time each year.
Nectarines
Available May through September. A close cousin of the peach, Nectarines are just as juicy and fragrant, but without the fuzzy skins and with slightly citrusy overtones. Nectarines also have a slightly firmer texture, which makes them ideal for grilling, baking, or sautéing. Nectarines also have thinner skins than peaches, which means that, while you can use these stone fruits in any recipe that calls for peaches, you don’t have to take the extra step of removing their skins first. Nectarines are a good source of vitamin C, minerals, and antioxidants.
Tropical Mangoes
Available in June and August. Tropical mangoes are popular in many parts of the world but were not as well known in North America due to their short shelf life. Thanks to a family farm in Florida, this variety doesn’t have to travel so far. The Tropical Mango is a large, oval stone fruit with juicy flesh that’s sweet and refreshing with a taste that’s reminiscent of a variety of tropical, citrus, and stone fruits: apple, apricot, peach, pineapple, etc. Mangoes are delicious as a snack, in fruit cocktails, tropical salsas and chutneys, grilled, sliced into salads, used in cocktails, or added to a variety of sweet and savory dishes.
