Saving Money on Groceries: Buy Produce In Season
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Have you ever noticed how sometimes strawberries are 2-3 times more expensive than they are at other times of the year? Or that sometimes stores have those giant boxes of watermelons when you walk in the door and other times you’re lucky to find a watermelon. And if you do find watermelon it is mealy and flavorless and costs as much as gold bars? All this is because most produce grows best at a particular time of year and is, therefore, more readily available. Buying produce when it is in season can help you save money on groceries.
What does it mean that produce is in season?
Plants thrive in different conditions. Lettuce, for example, likes cooler temperatures and will wilt and die in the heat of summer. Tomatoes, on the other hand, like moderate heat and lots of sun. We struggled to grow tomatoes in northern Minnesota because it was often too cool and the growing season wasn’t long enough. Citrus grows on trees that don’t like to be cold, so most of the oranges and grapefruit in the United States grow in places like Florida, Texas, and southern California.
It’s very difficult to grow plants in conditions that aren’t well-suited to their needs. If you want certain types of produce at the wrong time of year, there are only a couple of ways you can get it and it will almost certainly be more expensive. Produce purchased out of season is either:
Shipped from farther away (increased transportation costs)
Picked during peak season and stored for a long time (increased storage costs)
Grown in greenhouses or other artificial growing environments (increased growing costs)
Besides the additional costs, simple rules of supply and demand affect the price of produce. When peach trees are full of fruit, growers sell the peaches at lower prices in order to get people to buy them. In the winter, there are fewer peaches available so people are willing to pay more for them.
In addition to being more expensive, out-of-season produce tastes worse. When your winter blueberries come from Chile, they are often either picked too early and are overly tart or are picked later and can easily become mushy. Tomatoes grown in warmer winter locations are not as juicy and flavorful and have to be picked before they are ripe so they don’t rot before they get to you.
So you can actually eat better and save money at the grocery store by buying produce when it is in season.
What produce is in season?
Spring
Spring produce can vary somewhat depending on where you are and which part of spring it is, but it’s not uncommon to see asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, pineapple, peas, and leafy greens. You can also find the last of the winter citrus and things like potatoes and parsnips that have been stored over the winter.
Early Summer
Berries are at their best in early summer and it’s not uncommon to find good prices at this time of year. Leafy greens, peas, and radishes are also abundant.
Summer
The height of summer brings on true abundance when it comes to produce. Although oranges and apples tend not to be their best, pretty much everything else is.
Fall
Early fall is overflowing with the summer harvest but also brings apple and pear season along with things like winter squash and potatoes.
Winter
Citrus: Lemons, limes, grapefruit, oranges, and clementines are all at their best from roughly December through February.
Buying produce in the off season
If you find yourself needing or wanting fruit or vegetables when they’re not in season, it’s often best to buy frozen. Frozen fruits and vegetables maintain their nutrients and often taste better than off-season produce. The downside is that they may need to be used differently.
I often find myself at the end of fall suddenly wondering how I’m going to eat enough vegetables because the amazing fresh ones from summer are gone. Enter soups, stews, and smoothies. These are a great way to use frozen fruit and vegetables.
So if you see some strawberries on sale in December, go ahead and try them, but don’t expect much.
As we start growing more in greenhouses and improve our ability to ship produce from around the world, these “rules” become more and more flexible. However, generally speaking, what’s in season in your neck of the woods will taste the best. It’s worth it to buy quality produce that tastes good because you’ll actually eat it. That means less food thrown out, which of course is one of the biggest ways American families waste money.
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