Eating fruit and vegetables when they are in season is a great idea for many reasons.

Firstly, produce is cheapest when it is at it’s most abundant. If you are working to a tight budget eating seasonally can dramatically reduce your grocery bill.

"Firstly, produce is cheapest when it is at it’s most abundant."

Secondly, fruit and vegetables contain the greatest number of nutrients when they are allowed to ripen naturally. For instance, avocados sold in winter have often been picked early then frozen or chilled to prevent them ripening too quickly. Nutrients are lost this way, and they just don’t taste as good.

"Secondly, fruit and vegetables contain the greatest number of nutrients when they are allowed to ripen naturally."

We know through studies conducted on supermarket produce, four days after harvest, many fruits and vegetables have lost up to 80% of their nutrient levels.

In winter, it’s especially crucial to get as many nutrients as possible from what we eat, to help boost our immune system against the high demand stress and sickness places on our bodies during the colder months and stay on top of colds and flu.

Nature is pretty clever this way. Fruits that are in season in late autumn and winter such as kiwifruit, oranges and mandarins are all rich in vitamin C.

"Fruits that are in season in late autumn and winter such as kiwifruit, oranges and mandarins are all rich in vitamin C."

During colder months, it’s also a good idea to give our digestive systems a bit of a break from raw foods such as salads. Lightly steaming or sauteing your veggies as well as using them in soups, stews, roasting them or putting them in the slow cooker will keep you warm and nourished.

We love to use seasonal veggies in soups with bone broth to give us a boost when it’s cold outside.

To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of the fruits and veggies that are in season during winter. Choose as many of these as you can.

Winter Vegetables

• Brussel Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Turnips
• Swede
• Parsnips
• Carrots
• Kumara
• Pumpkin
• Cauliflower
• Bok Choy
• Garlic
• Silverbeet
• Jerusalem Artichokes

Winter Fruit

• Persimmon
• Mandarin
• Grapefruit
• Meyer Lemons
• Oranges
• Tamarillo (early winter)
• Green Apples
• Kiwifruit
• Pears (early winter)

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