Anyone can distinguish seasonal fruits from greenhouse fruits by their taste and, to a lesser extent, also due to the size of the food. And it is that when they are produced in their time, they taste better and have a size more in line with what their genetics dictates. Why? Because the climate greatly influences the growth of plants and their fruits.
Although humans can control the climatic conditions in a greenhouse to some extent, it will be difficult to get, for example, a sweet, large watermelon in spring like those harvested in midsummer. For this reason, we want to invite you to enjoy seasonal fruits. Next you will know what they are.
What are the seasonal fruits?
There is nothing like having a garden, or a planter, so that when the time comes, you can grow your own food. And it is that although nowadays it is increasingly easier to find food grown following the rules of organic farming, sowing and later harvesting something that will nourish you is, truly, a magnificent experience, even if they are 'only' a few strawberries.
For this reason, we are going to see which are the fruits that are harvested in each season of the year in Spain:
Winter
We start with the last season of the year, but being objective it would be the first since in these first months it is when it is coldest. Despite the low temperatures, there are many fruits that are harvested:
- Briefs: the fig tree is a very grateful fruit tree that resists drought without problems. If it is a variety that produces figs, these will be ready in December.
- Khaki: it can begin to be harvested in October, and until November. See file.
- Custard apple: This delicious fruit is harvested from October to February.
- Orange: these citrus fruits are harvested from July (the earliest varieties) to February.
- Pomelo: it is a seasonal fruit that is harvested during the fall and until the beginning of winter.
- Grapes: they begin to be harvested at the end of the summer, and it continues until the winter.
Spring
Spring is the season when temperatures gradually recover. It can still freeze in some parts of the country, but in orchards and flowerpots there are many plants that ripen their fruits, like these:
- Apricot- If you love this fruit, you can pick it from May to early June.
- Avocado- If the weather is warm enough, this tree will bear fruit from fall to spring. In fact, it is one of the few seasonal fruits of tropical origin that we will find in March.
- Cherry: as a snack for example they are delicious. You can enjoy them from April to August.
- Peach: There are early varieties of peaches that ripen early in April-May, but there are others that do so during the summer months. See file.
- Nectarine: like the peach, it is harvested in May.
Summer
Summer is a season when it can be very hot; In certain regions of the country, such as the south of the peninsula, extreme heat waves in which they touch 50ºC are already well known. But we can still grow a lot of plants. These are the ones that are harvested in those months:
- Apricot: until the beginning of the season we can taste its authentic flavor.
- Plum: ripens between July and September.
- Date: The date palm produces its fruits in late summer / early fall.
- Strawberry: strawberries are harvested in the early summer of the year following sowing.
- Melon: it is one of the typical summer fruits, and is harvested about 90 days after sowing.
- OrangeThere is nothing like eating a fresh orange for dessert. If you love them, you should know that they mature between the months of July and February. See file.
- Papaya: it is a plant that needs heat for its fruits to ripen, so it is usually in summer when it is harvested.
- Pear: depending on the variety, ripens from summer to fall.
- Banana: Ripens in summer, about two months after flowering occurs.
- Watermelon: Like melon, watermelon is a summer classic. It is harvested around 80 days after sowing. See file.
- FIGWhile there are many varieties, all of them mature sometime in the summer or early fall.
Fall
With autumn comes the long-awaited drop in temperatures in many parts of the country. The plants in many communities live their second spring, since it is not cold yet and the rains are regular. The seasonal fruits of fall are:
- Avocado: its harvest begins in late autumn.
- Khaki: Harvesting begins in October.
- Custard apple: harvested from October to February.
- Granada- You can collect it from September to December.
- Apple: there are early varieties that are harvested in summer, and late varieties that are harvested between September and October.
- Tangerine: there are early and late varieties. The former are harvested in spring, while the latter are around October.
- Quince: the quince is ready from September to December. See file.
- Medlar: it is a fruit that is ready from autumn to mid-winter.
- Pear: pears ripen until mid-autumn.
- GrapesGrapes can be harvested from fall to winter.
- Kiwi: it is harvested from October to November. See file.
Why bet on seasonal fruits and vegetables?
There are several reasons why it is highly recommended to consume fruits and vegetables in season. Perhaps the most important is that you get foods with a more authentic taste, more real if I may say so. You may have heard someone say, or even mentioned it yourself, that sometimes out-of-season fruits and vegetables taste "weird" or "plastic"; or that they "have less water", or "are smaller".
And it is that, as we said before, plants have evolved to adapt to specific climatic conditions. Therefore, watermelons and melons are much better in summer, and persimmons in autumn / winter.
Furthermore, it is also a way of caring for the environment. By betting on food grown using organic products, and at the right time, less resources are consumed than if we grow them out of season, since we have to take more measures so that the plants grow well and are productive (heating and ventilation systems, irrigation, humidifiers).
For all this, it is certainly interesting to grow your own food while respecting the cycles of nature.