Seasonal eating: Spring

Choose these in-season fruits and vegetables. It’s good for the environment and good for you.

In-season fruits and vegetables are generally more nutritious and tasty than fruits and vegetables produced out of season. There is widespread agreement among nutrition experts in-season is the healthiest way to eat.

Here is a list of in-season fruits and vegetables to get you started:

SEPTEMBER:

Vegetables: asparagus, artichokes, beetroot, broad beans, broccoli, black radish, Japanese white radish i.e. daikon, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, endive (limited), leeks, garlic, lettuce, mushrooms, new potato, onion, parsnips, peas, potato, pumpkin, radishes, rhubarb, Swiss Chard, squash, spring onion, sweet potatoes, tarsoi, pachoi, tomatoes, turnips, waterblommetjies

Fruit: mulberries, avocados, bananas, cape gooseberries, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, naartjies, limes, tangelo (limited), kumquats, guava, paw-paw, pineapple, kiwi, rhubarb

Herbs: mint, sage, thyme, rosemary, fennel, French tarragon (limited), bay leaves, lavender, parsley, dandelion, nasturtiums, garlic chives, winter savoury, calendula, nettle, rocket, sage (limited), bulb fennel, perennial basil, sorrel, bloody sorrel, lemon grass stems, lime leaves, cat mint, green & red mustard, garden cress

Fish: hake, hottentot, kingklip, monkfish, skate, sole, trout, tuna, cape salmon, yellowtail (galjoen – protected species)
Poultry & Meat: guinea fowl, pheasant, partridge, chicken, venison, mutton, beef

OCTOBER

Vegetables: artichoke (globe), beetroot, green beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chives, courgettes, cucumber, endive (limited), leeks, garlic, lettuce, mealies, mushrooms, onion, parsnips, peas, potatoes, pumpkin, radishes, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turnips, waterblommetjies

Fruit: apricots, mulberries, bananas, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, naartjies, guava, paw-paw, pineapples, kiwi, rhubarb, strawberries

NOVEMBER

Vegetables: asparagus, baby marrows, beans, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, globe artichokes, leeks, peas, spinach

Fruit: almonds, apricots, avocados, cherries, guavas, paw-paw, peaches, pineapples, plums, spanspek, strawberries, watermelons, melons

Herbs: mint, sage, thyme, marjoram, oreganum, basil, rosemary, fennel, dill, bay leaves

Fish: cape salmon, elf, hake, haarders, hottentot, kabeljou, kingklip, monkfish, musselcracker, red roman, red steenbras, skate, snoek, sole, stumpnose, tunny, yellowtail, crayfish, trout