Are you ready to eat fruits and veggies at their peak this February? We want to help you enjoy healthy eating and save a little money while you’re at it! Choosing fruits and vegetables in season will help keep your grocery bill down and give your palate a glorious experience.
Enjoy our list of what’s in season in February!
Fruits in Season February
Let’s kick this off with the delicious fruits you should try this February.
Banana
Bananas are sweet, delicious, and full of helpful muscle-building potassium. Ripe bananas will have dark yellow skin and some brown spots, which are perfect for immediate use. Make sure you grab a few bananas that are still bright yellow so you can use them up in a week! Bananas are perfect for making smoothies, mixing them into a fruit salad, or serving banana pancakes for a weekend treat.
Big Honeys
If you haven’t tried big honeys yet, you’re missing out! Also known as Dekopon mandarins, these fruits are about the size of a softball and packed with juicy, delicious flavor. Big honeys are seedless and super easy to peel, so you don’t have to set aside much prep time. Peel one and eat it plain, or add them to a dessert for an explosion of sweetness.
Related: Mandarin and Pomegranate Overnight Oats
Dates
Dates are a delicious fruit to try when they’re in season in February. Ripe dates will be a little soft and just starting to turn brown. These fruits taste amazing when stuffed with cream cheese or pistachios and make the perfect finger food snack when you need something healthy and filling. You can enjoy these fruits raw or dried.
Related: How to Eat Dates
Grape Tomatoes
Grape tomatoes are a classic addition to any salad. These tiny little fruits are rich and sweet. They’re the perfect addition to various dishes because you don’t have to spend any time cutting them up! Just wash them off and throw them in your pasta or salad for an extra blast of flavor. You’ll know these little guys are ripe when their skin is slightly shiny and tender. If you’re picking your own grape tomatoes, look for ones that come away easily with a gentle tug.
Jazz
Apple
This apple stands out from the crowd with its intense flavors and mouth-watering crispiness. Jazz apples deliver an excellent crunch and a sensory explosion of sweet and sharp flavors. These apples are perfect for eating raw but also make a mean apple pie. Try using Jazz apples in our Apple Cinnamon Waffle recipe for an experience your whole family will love!
MandaRosa
MandaRosas are a new hybrid version of mandarins that are slightly bigger and sweeter. They’re a great source of vitamin C, which is a necessary immune system booster and antioxidant. Eat your MandaRosa raw for a flavor experience that will remind you of summer during the cold February months, or use it in your breakfast smoothie for a nice kick of flavor.
Related: MandaRosa Salad
Mango
Mangoes are a popular stone fruit that’s bright in color and flavor. Ripe mangoes will have a yellow/orange color and give slightly when you touch them. That indicates the flesh inside is soft and ready to be devoured! Mangoes are great in fruit salads or smoothies. This fruit has a ton of other uses, too, so check out our Mango on a Stick if you’re looking for a new way to enjoy mangoes!
Related: How to Slice Mango
Mini Watermelon
Watermelons are delicious fruits with super high water content, and mini watermelons make an excellent treat for any occasion. Mini watermelons are about the size of a cantaloupe and are sweet, crisp, and juicy. Their flesh can be deep pink or deep red, but they’ll always have the same delicious flavor. Most people eat them raw, but we love using mini watermelons in our Watermelon S’mores recipe!
Pink Lady®
Pink Lady® is another type of apple in season in February. It has a distinctive blush with green undertones and is one of the sweetest types of apples. They provide an excellent treat during this cold winter month and make an excellent addition to desserts! These apples are great for making apple pie, apple turnovers, or apple crumble. A ripe pink lady will have that classic pinkish-red blush and be nice and firm.
Related: How to Make Apple Roses
Pummelo
Pummelos are a large citrus fruit that tastes very similar to grapefruits but has a little more floral notes. These fruits are ripe when their skin turns pale green and yellow. Their flesh will be white when they’re fully ripe, but if the skin is white, it means they’re not quite ready yet. Enjoy pummelos raw, juice them, or add them to your citrus salad for an extra kick, or even make them into roses.
Raspberries
Raspberries are small, bite-sized fruits that taste very sweet when fully ripe. These berries are an excellent source of vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin K1. Research suggests they might be able to help prevent insulin resistance and fight inflammation! Try adding a serving of raspberries to your morning yogurt, or try our unique Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Energy Bites.
Red Anjou Pear
Red anjou pears have a gorgeous deep maroon color and a distinctive egg shape that sets them apart from other pears. This type of pear is in season from October through July and has an irresistible sweet and tangy flavor. Try pressing your thumb gently near the stem of a red anjou pear to test if it’s ripe. If the skin gives a little, then it’s ripe! Otherwise, that pear’s not quite ready yet.
Strawberry
Strawberries have long been considered a spring crop, but certain varieties are in season during February. When picking your own strawberries, ensure they’re all a uniform red and firm to ensure they’re fully ripe. Enjoy their burst of sweetness raw, dried, or in a fruit smoothie. If you want to try something different with your strawberries, then check out our Strawberry Chocolate Martini recipe!
Tropical Avocado
Tropical avocados are large, pear-shaped, and bursting with flavor. They have dark green skin even when ripe and taste similar to the classic Haas avocado but with a bit more sweetness. You can use tropical avocados for salsa, guacamole, or in our mouth-watering Avocado Pico De Gallo recipe.
Related: Easy Avocado Toast Ideas
Vegetables in Season February
Now, look at the delicious veggies you’ll want to try this February!
Arugula
Most people think of salads when they hear about arugula, but this cruciferous vegetable has plenty of uses outside your garden salad! If you’ve ever eaten arugula by itself, then you know it has a slightly peppery flavor that can spice up any dish. Salmon cakes with arugula are a delectable treat, and they make the perfect addition to our Apple Gouda and Farro Salad Recipe!
Artichoke
Artichokes have a mild nutty flavor and taste similar to Brussel sprouts and asparagus. While artichokes are classified as vegetables, they’re technically the flower bud of a thistle! Artichokes are ripe when they reach a dusty green color. There can be a few brown spots on their leaves, but too many is a sign they’re becoming overripe. Enjoy this veggie in a salad, as a pizza topping, or to make a dip!
Related: Artichoke: How to Select, Store & Serve
Beet
Beets are known for their distinctive earthy aroma and flavor. These deep reddish-purple-colored veggies are one of winter’s best in-season treats! Technically, beetroots, stems, and leaves are all perfectly edible. They’re a super versatile vegetable full of betalains and nitrates. Evidence suggests beets can help lower blood sugar, prevent certain cancers, and prevent certain cardiovascular diseases!
Related: Roasted Sweet Potato and Beet Salad
Cabbage
Cabbage is in season from late fall all the way through to early spring. You can add cabbage to practically any meal for a boost of vitamin K, folate, fiber, magnesium, and vitamin B6. To pick a perfectly ripe cabbage, give the head a firm squeeze and make sure there’s very little to no give. If any part feels loose or soft, then it’s not quite ready yet.
Carrot
Carrots are an excellent crunchy snack for veggie lovers! They have an earthy sweet flavor and are packed full of helpful vitamins and minerals. Carrots are also a great source of phytochemicals, which can help reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Try our Air Fryer Cinnamon and Brown Sugar Carrots recipe to experience how deliciously sweet this vegetable can be!
Colored Cauliflower
Colored cauliflower is a fun way to add some unexpected colors to your plate and a great way to get your kids to try this delicious vegetable! You can find purple, orange, and green colored cauliflower at most stores and farmer’s markets. Despite their different colors, colored cauliflower always has the same mildly sweet and nutty flavor.
Celery
Celery has a distinctive earthy, leafy flavor and always delivers a satisfying crunch. It generally has a bold flavor that many people consider bitter, but there are plenty of ways to enjoy this intense flavor. Mix it into your salads, smear some peanut butter on them, or try our amazing Slow Cooker Celery Soup With Bacon recipe!
Related: Celery Benefits for Skin And Hair
Eggplant
Eggplants come from the nightshade family, which also includes tomatoes, zucchini, and okra. These veggies have an easily recognizable dark purple or brownish-purple color with a slightly curved shape. Eggplants have an interesting flavor profile that’s mild, sweet, and somewhat bitter. You can enjoy them in classic dishes like eggplant parmesan or try them sauteed!
Jicama
Jicama is a root vegetable with distinctive thick, brown skin. It’s a very nutritious vegetable that’s low in calories and high in fiber. To choose fully ripe jicama, make sure there are no large blemishes on the veggie. Then, give it a light squeeze to make sure it feels firm. Jicama is great to eat raw once it’s peeled and cut into matchsticks!
Radicchio
Radicchio is a big, leafy vegetable similar to cabbage. It has a distinctive purple color and a bold, spicy flavor. In some places, radicchio can be in season year-round, but it’s the perfect veggie to add to your February round-up. You can use radicchio in salads and pasta, or try our Grilled Radicchio recipe for a real treat!
Related: Radicchio: How to Select, Store, & Serve
Russet Potato
When most people think of potatoes, they’re picturing russet potatoes. These delicious vegetables are in season from early winter through late fall, and they’re full of helpful minerals like iron, magnesium, and phosphorus. These potatoes have a mild earthy flavor, and they’re perfect for classic dishes like mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, and making homemade french fries! They’re also perfect for our Slow Cooker Potato and Ham Soup recipe!
Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes have a very different flavor profile from russets. These potatoes have a mild, sweet, and starchy flavor, making them perfect for dessert dishes like sweet potato pie. You can tell these potatoes are ripe when their skin is firm, smooth, and free of cuts or blemishes. Aside from sweet potato pie, this veggie is perfect for making fries, soups, or hash.
Nuts in Season February
To wrap things up, let’s talk about the nuts that are in season in February.
Almonds
Almonds are an amazingly healthy snack. They’re packed full of helpful micro and macro-nutrients that are proven to help fight diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular diseases. Almonds are a great nut to snack on throughout the day or add to almost any recipe. Check out our Lemon Cranberry Bread With Almonds recipe for a fantastic treat!
Produce in Season During February – Final Thoughts
Every fruit, vegetable, and nut on this list is an amazing treat to enjoy while in season in February. Some have incredible proven health benefits, while others are full of helpful vitamins and minerals. Check out the recipes we included in this list to find some new favorite dishes for the foods that are in season in February!
The post What’s in Season February: Fruits & Vegetables appeared first on The Produce Moms.