It’s getting colder and darker earlier – summer is over. What does this mean for the regional fruit and vegetable offering? You can still buy a lot of locally grown food. We’ll show you what they are and which products you should avoid now in October.
In October the leaves change colour, it gets colder and wetter and the summer season is slowly but surely over for fruit and vegetables. Only what grows in the Transition period regional and fresh? Utopia shows which fruits should end up in your shopping basket now – and which ones you should avoid.
Because: With our purchases and our diet, we influence how much impact we put on the environment and climate. At Utopia we recommend it regional and seasonal fruit and vegetables from organic farming. This usually has a better climate balance, and organic farming also protects soil and water.
You should therefore avoid the following foods now, because they are no longer in season here and therefore have a long transport journey behind them.
Season over: No more local blueberries, raspberries and blackberries in October
Blackberries, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries have sweetened our snacks since early summer. Unfortunately, this is over now in autumn, because local berries are usually no longer in season.
Luckily there is still one available at the moment Regional Alternatives: black elderberries. These are ripe from August, but some can still be harvested at the beginning of October.
October is usually too late for cherries
Are there still cherries now? Unfortunately no – at least not from local cultivation, because the season only lasts from June to August and the fruits cannot be stored for long.
If you discover fresh cherries in the supermarket, you should take a close look at their origin. As a rule, they do not come from Germany. You’d better buy frozen cherries or seasonal plums.
Peas? A summer vegetable!
Bright green peas not only taste great with mashed potatoes, but also as pea guacamole. The small green balls are available in approximately June to September to buy fresh. In October you can hardly get them regional and fresh anymore.
But you don’t have to give up healthy peas completely, even in autumn and winter: you can as frozen vegetables kaufen.
Kale still requires a bit of patience
Kale also tastes great as a salad, but the season doesn’t start until October. (Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / pompi)
While the season for many summer fruits and vegetables is now over in October, for other varieties it has not yet begun. The same goes for local kale. The kale season doesn’t start until the beginning of November and then lasts until around the end of March. So you have to be patient a little longer.
Which fruits and vegetables you can buy regionally in October
But don’t worry, the seasonal fruit and vegetable buffet is still lavishly filled with these varieties even in October:
- Cauliflower and broccoli taste good raw and cooked.
- Chicory is now available again from Germany. The bitter lettuce also tastes great when fried.
- pumpkin October is high season: In addition to Hokkaido, there are many other delicious pumpkin varieties from Germany.
- Better be quick: there are still local ones Peppers, tomatoes and zucchini. So that you have some summer vegetables for longer, it is best to pickle or boil them.
- The cabbage season has started: Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, pointed cabbage and white cabbage now provide hearty, healthy dishes such as sauerkraut or taste great as a raw vegetable salad
- Salads like Iceberg lettuce, lettuce and lollo rosso you can (still) buy fresh from Germany.
- Plums are still available from this year’s harvest and can usually be bought cheaply.
- Carrots, potatoes and onions is available from Germany all year round.
Also local hazelnuts and walnuts are now in season: On mundraub.org you can check where the nuts can be harvested in your area.
Important: At Apples, cucumbers and tomatoes The following applies: Even if they are currently harvested seasonally in Germany, you can also find them on offer as imported goods in discounters, supermarkets and even organic shops. Therefore, pay close attention to the indication of origin. For unpackaged fruit and vegetables, this is either on the fruit itself, on the price tag or on the fruit box.
The Utopia seasonal calendar for the best overview
The Utopia seasonal calendar offers you good guidance throughout the year as to which fruits and vegetables are currently in season. You can buy it in printed form as a poster or as a monthly spiral-bound wall calendar – including many recipes and preparation tips for seasonal fruits and vegetables. Order the seasonal calendar right here.
You can also download our seasonal calendar for free as a PDF onto your smartphone if you subscribe to the Utopia newsletter.
** Links to sources marked with ** or underlined in orange are partly partner links: If you buy here, you are actively supporting Utopia.de, because we then receive a small part of the sales proceeds. More info.
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