A Seasonal Produce Guide: Which Fruits and Veggies Are in Season in Canada and When?

Throughout the year, Canadian agriculture produces many high-quality fruits and vegetables. From the fruit farms of British Columbia’s Okanagan region to the orange fields of squash in Ontario, Canada has much to offer regarding seasonal produce.

Locally farmed, seasonable produce possesses tantalizing flavours, desirable nutritional profiles, and sustainable advantages.

Food manufacturing companies like Hela Spice prefer incorporating seasonal fruits and veggies into our products whenever possible. These high-quality ingredients are the secret to developing best-selling, flavourful food products.

Which fruits and veggies are in season in autumn?

Temperatures drop as autumn arrives in Canada. This beloved, albeit often brief, season contains brilliantly coloured leaves, crisp mornings, and the crunch of frost underfoot. For many Canadians, a quintessential fall activity is budding up in their scarves and jackets, spiced latte in hand, and heading to the local pumpkin patch.

Autumn brings a hearty bounty of seasonal fruits and vegetables, emblematic squash varieties and apple offerings. Pumpkins are the season’s star, yet potatoes, carrots, turnips, gourds, and other root vegetables similarly thrive in autumn’s cool temperatures.

Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts are also in season at this time of year. The cooler climate tends to produce tender and sweeter flavours in these vegetables.

Apples, pears, and plums appear throughout autumn. However, many summer fruits are found in season during the first month of fall, September. The same goes for summer berries, such as blueberries and raspberries, and some summer vegetables.

What’s in Season from September to November:

• Berries: Blueberries, cranberries, and raspberries.
• Fruit: Apples, cantaloupes, grapes, melons, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, prunes, and watermelon.
• Vegetables: Artichokes, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, corn, cucumber, eggplants, fennel, green beans, kale, lettuce, mushrooms, peppers, salad greens, spinach, Swiss chard, and tomatoes.
• Root Vegetables: Beets, carrots, garlic, onions, leeks, parsnips, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, rutabagas, shallots, sweet potatoes, squash, turnips, and zucchini

Which fruits and veggies are in season in winter?

Most of Canada receives a thick layer of snow during the winter months. Although the weather outside is often frightful, Canadians come together to celebrate the many holidays with good cheer, warming drinks, and delicious food.

Seasonal fruits and vegetables are the stars of traditional festive recipes, such as stews, roasted dishes, and soups.

The harsh winter climate, with its frigid temperatures, is inhospitable to nearly all fruits and vegetables. However, root vegetables continue to shine even in the Canadian winter. Potatoes, carrots, turnips, and winter squashes can withstand the cold and store well in cool spaces.

Apples and pears also store well, making them the fruits of choice throughout winter.

What’s in Season from December to February:

• Fruit: Apples and pears.
• Vegetables: Cabbage, fennel, and mushrooms.
• Root Vegetables: Beets, carrots, garlic, onions, leeks, parsnips, potatoes, pumpkins, rutabagas, sweet potatoes, squash, and turnips.

Which fruits and veggies are in season in spring?

Winter begins to thaw at long last, bringing an explosion of colourful flowers, the cheerful songs of birds, and the return of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Canadians are eager to embrace the warmer temperatures, venturing to restaurant patios and bringing their BBQs out of hibernation when the weather permits.

Rhubarb and asparagus are the first new vegetables to appear. However, winter root vegetables like beets, potatoes and squashes are still readily available. By the end of May, Canadians begin to see the first crops of summer produce, such as green beans, broccoli, kale, and lettuce.

Spring is also the start of berry season. Strawberries and the native Canadian Saskatoon berries come into season during May, as do apples and cherries.

What’s in Season from March to May:

• Berries: Saskatoon berries and strawberries.
• Fruit: Apples, cherries, and watermelon.
• Vegetables: Asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, green beans, green onion, kale, lettuce, mushrooms, and rhubarb.
• Root Vegetables: Beets, carrots, onion, parsnips, potatoes, radishes, rutabaga, squash, and sweet potatoes.

Which fruits and veggies are in season in summer?

Summer is when fruits, vegetables, and Canadians come alive. Blue skies, radiant sunshine, and hot temperatures usher Canadians into their favourite warm-weather activities.

Restaurant, brewery, and winery patios are open in full force, enabling patrons to enjoy their meals in the fresh air. Meanwhile, BBQs, picnics, camping trips, and outdoor celebrations call for easy-to-transport food products.

This time of year is when Canadian harvests are most abundant. A wide variety of berries, fruit, and veggies is available to home chefs, restaurants, and food manufacturing companies.

For instance, blueberries, cranberries, gooseberries, and raspberries are ready to be enjoyed. Fruits, such as apricots, melons, grapes, nectarines, peaches, and pears, have ripened perfectly.

There’s also a bounty of different vegetables ranging from artichokes to bok choy to peppers to cruciferous veggies.

What’s in Season from June to August:

• Berries: Blueberries, cranberries, currants, gooseberries, raspberries, and Saskatoon berries.
• Fruit: Apples, apricots, cantaloupes, cherries, grapes, melons, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, and watermelon.
• Vegetables: Artichokes, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, corn, cucumber, eggplants, fennel, green beans, green onions, kale, lettuce, mushrooms, peas, peppers, salad greens, spinach, Swiss chard, and tomatoes.
• Root Vegetables: Beets, carrots, garlic, onions, leeks, parsnips, potatoes, radishes, rutabagas, shallots, sweet potatoes, squash, turnips, and zucchini

Why Companies Should Incorporate Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables Into Their Food Products

As Canada’s top food manufacturing company, Hela Spice is a nutrition expert. Consequently, we understand the value of incorporating seasonal fruits and vegetables into food products.

Seasonal ingredients are harvested at their peak, offering the best flavour and nutritional content. This timing enhances the overall taste and quality of the final food product. The quality of the ingredients is always critically important when developing your next best-selling signature creation.

Furthermore, seasonal produce supports local Canadian agriculture. In recent years, more and more Canadians have begun to prefer locally-made products using locally farmed-ingredients. As a result, using seasonal fruits and veggies is one way to appeal to locally-conscious consumers.

Lastly, seasonal fruits and vegetables are more sustainable. Since the produce is grown locally, there are fewer emissions associated with transportation and storage. Hela Spice has been committed to sustainable production and consumption for over 100 years.

Hela Spice: Canada’s Top Food Manufacturing Company

Seasonal fruits and vegetables, grown right here in Canada, are excellent ingredients for various food products.

They have the most delicious flavours and impressive nutritional profiles, making these ingredients a clear winner with Canadians. Since seasonal produce is locally grown, it’s also better for the environment and the local Canadian economy.

Contact Hela Spice today to learn how to incorporate more seasonal fruits and vegetables into your food products.

To learn more about food product development at Hela Spice, visit us at www.helaspice.com or contact us here.