# Seasonal Fruit Calendar

When to buy each fruit for peak flavour and value.

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## Spring (Mar – May)

| Fruit       | Notes                                      |
|-------------|--------------------------------------------|
| Strawberries | First of the season — local ones are best |
| Rhubarb     | Technically a vegetable, used as fruit     |
| Apricots    | Short season, grab them early              |

## Summer (Jun – Aug)

| Fruit        | Notes                                        |
|--------------|----------------------------------------------|
| Cherries     | Peak in June and July                        |
| Raspberries  | Fragile — eat within 2 days of buying        |
| Peaches      | Ripen at room temperature, never refrigerate |
| Blueberries  | Freeze any surplus immediately               |
| Watermelon   | Thump test: a deep hollow sound = ripe       |

## Autumn (Sep – Nov)

| Fruit    | Notes                                     |
|----------|-------------------------------------------|
| Apples   | Huge variety — best storage fruit         |
| Pears    | Ripen off the tree; check the neck, not the body |
| Grapes   | Table grapes peak September               |
| Quince   | Must be cooked; never eaten raw           |

## Winter (Dec – Feb)

| Fruit      | Notes                                       |
|------------|---------------------------------------------|
| Oranges    | Peak sweetness in mid-winter                |
| Clementines | Seedless and easy to peel                  |
| Pomelo     | Mild grapefruit cousin; underrated          |
| Kiwi       | Available all winter, often overlooked      |

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## Storage Tips

- **Counter**: Bananas, mangoes, avocados, stone fruits (until ripe)
- **Fridge**: Berries, grapes, citrus, ripe stone fruit
- **Freezer**: Any berry, sliced banana, mango chunks

*Buying in season is cheaper, tastier, and usually has a lower carbon footprint.*