Eating fruit and vegetables in season is much more than just a culinary habit: it's an approach that transforms your daily life. Rediscover the real taste of food, lighten your shopping budget, support local producers and reduce your environmental footprint.. So many tangible benefits from a simple but coherent choice.
This season calendar is a month-by-month guide to help you easily identify the products you should be choosing, organise your purchases efficiently and reduce food waste. Adapted to the specific regional characteristics and climatic variations of mainland France, it invites you to consume with common sense, cook with pleasure and get back in touch with the natural rhythm of the seasons.
Spring fruit and vegetables (March to May)
Spring marks the awakening of nature and the arrival of the first fresh harvests after winter. It's the season of tender young shoots, crisp green vegetables and the first delicate flavours that herald the fine weather.
| Vegetables | Fruit | Pulses |
| Garlic Beetroot Swiss chard Broccoli Carrot Celery (stalk and root) Cabbage (all varieties: cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, red cabbage, head cabbage) Squash (Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Butternut) Crosne Endive Spinach Frisée / Lamb's lettuce (autumn salads) Turnip Onion Parsnips Leek Potatoes (ware) Radishes (winter varieties) Salsifi Jerusalem artichoke Mushroom (Cèpe, Girolle, Champignon de Paris) | Dry almond Chestnut Lemon Clémentine Quince Fig Grenada Khaki Kiwi Tangerine Hazelnut Nuts Orange Grapefruit Pear Apple Plum Grape Rhubarb (end of season) | Lens |
Summer fruit and vegetables (June to August)
Summer explodes with colour, flavour and generosity. It's the most abundant season, when the stalls overflow with sun-drenched produce, perfect for light, refreshing meals.
| Vegetables | Fruit | Cereals & Pulses |
| Garlic Artichoke Asparagus (end of season in June) Aubergine Beetroot Swiss chard Broccoli Carrot Celeriac Cabbage (white, red, romanesco) Cucumber Squash (early season) Courgette Spinach Fennel Frisée (salad) Green bean Lettuce Turnip Onion Peas (start of season in June) Peppers Early potatoes Radish | Apricot Fresh almonds / Dry almonds Goji berry Brugnon Cassis Cherry (short season, until July) Lemon Fig Strawberry Raspberry Redcurrant Melon Mirabelle Blackberry Blueberry Nectarine Hazelnut Grapefruit Watermelon Fishing Pear Apple Prune / Pruneau Rhubarb Tomato (often considered a vegetable, but botanically a fruit) Grapes (end of season) | Oats (winter and spring) Wheat (hard and soft) Beans and field beans White bean Maize Barley (winter and spring) Peas (dry) Quinoa Rye |
Autumn fruit and vegetables (September to November)
Autumn heralds the transition to warmer, more comforting flavours. It's the season of bountiful harvests, root vegetables and colourful squash that invite you to make creamy soups and simmering dishes.
| Vegetables | Fruit | Cereals & Pulses |
| Garlic / Shallot Beetroot Swiss chard Broccoli Cardon Carrot Celery (stalk and root) Cabbage (white, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, romanesco, red) Squash (Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Butternut, other varieties) Crosne Endive Spinach Fennel Frisée / Lamb's lettuce (autumn salads) Lettuce Turnip Onion Parsnips Sweet potato Leek Potatoes (ware) Radish Rutabaga Salsifi Jerusalem artichoke | Almonds (fresh and dried) Goji berry Chestnut Lemon Clémentine Quince Fig Raspberry (end of season) Khaki Kiwi Tangerine Blackberry Blueberry (end of season) Hazelnut Nuts Orange Peach / Nectarine (early season) Physalis Pear Apple Plum / Mirabelle plum / Prune Grape Tomato (end of season) | White bean Lens Maize Quinoa Rice Buckwheat Soya Sunflower |
Winter fruit and vegetables (December to February)
Winter invites us to warm up with nutritious, vitamin-packed dishes. Hardy vegetables such as cabbages and leeks dominate the markets.
| Vegetables | Fruit | Cereals & Pulses |
| Garlic / Shallot Beetroot Carrot Celery (stalk and root) Cabbage (white, Brussels sprouts, curly, red, cauliflower) Squash (Butternut, Pumpkin, Spaghetti squash, etc.) Crosne Endive Spinach Frisée / Lamb's lettuce (winter salads) Turnip Onion Parsnips Leek Potatoes (ware) Radish Rutabaga Salsifi Jerusalem artichoke | Dry almond Chestnut Citrus fruit (Lemon, clementine, mandarin, orange, grapefruit, grapefruit-apple) Khaki (end of season) Kiwi Physalis Pear Apple | Oats (winter and spring) Wheat (hard and soft) Beans and field beans Lens Barley (winter and spring) Peas Rye |
Why choose seasonal fruit and vegetables?
Opting for seasonal produce is much more than a passing trend. It's a choice that combines taste pleasure, substantial savings and environmental responsibility, while creating a direct link with those who grow our food.
Authentic flavours and preserved nutritional benefits
Fruit and vegetables harvested when fully ripe develop incomparable aromas and retain their nutrients better. This natural freshness is also reflected in your budget: when harvests are plentiful, prices naturally fall. On the other hand, eating strawberries in winter means excessive production costs (heated greenhouses, long-distance transport), which are reflected in the final price and lower quality.
Reduced environmental impact
Respecting the harvest calendar means reducing your ecological footprint. Local, seasonal production requires less energy: no intensive heating of greenhouses, no artificial lighting, no transport. This approach also encourages more diversified agriculture, preserves the biodiversity of our terroirs and naturally generates less packaging.
Supporting local producers
Buy in short circuits enables farmers to make better use of their labour and to obtain fairer remuneration. Farm sales and weekly baskets are examples of this new way of consuming: more flexible, respectful of the rhythm of the harvest and naturally anti-gaspi. By adapting to what really grows in your region, you are playing an active part in ensuring the long-term future of local agriculture.
