What’s in Season? November Produce Guide
This month in the November produce guide, I’ll share with you which seasonal fruits and vegetables are ripe and perfectly fresh right now! Enjoy!
In many regions across the US, November is when the temperature drops to be quite cold. It may not feel like there will be many freshly grown fruits and veggies this month, but there are! Along with some cool weather harvested fruits, there are plenty of hardy vegetables and root vegetables that we can harvest or purchase ripe and have consistently on our tables for optimum taste and freshness. Keep your eye out at the grocery store or market for these items, and use this November Produce Guide to know what is ripe this month so you can plan your meals and snacks!
This guide is a great way to help you solve the age-old problem of wandering around the grocery store wondering what you should get to eat. It can help you make your list, make your meal plan, and know what is going to have the most nutrients at the moment for meals and also snacks. November has some delicious options!
What’s in Season: November Produce Guide
November Seasonal Fruit
These are the fruits you will find perfectly ripe and full of nutrients in November, making for some super-healthy snacks and additions to your meals. November brings its festive beauty to its fresh fruits, and consuming them feels joyful!
Cranberries
Practically the poster food for November, cranberries are a beautiful and festive red color fruit that has a tart taste and some amazing health benefits. For the most flavorful cranberries, look for a deep, bright color. While they are edible fresh, their tartness is likely too much for most, so cranberries are quite popular made into a sauce, relish, juice, added to baked goods, and are really tasty when fermented too!
Cranberries are considered a superfood due to their high levels of antioxidants and nutrients. Well known in the passed-down wisdom of women, cranberries are extremely helpful for urinary tract health and their prebiotic nature helps balance gut bacteria, supporting women’s health in particular.
Cranberry Recipes:
Festive Cranberry Artichoke Dip
Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread with Cranberries and Walnuts
Simple Spiced Cranberry Sauce with Orange and Ginger
Kumquat
Kumquats are a small (slightly larger than a grape) citrus fruit that has a tart pulp, and a sweet edible rind. They can be eaten whole as-is, used in baked goods, and are popularly made into jams. Kumquats are super delicious eaten raw, and offer a bite-sized burst of sweet-tart flavor perfect for snacking!
This in-season fruit is a great addition to your diet in November as they’re high in vitamin C, antioxidants, and fiber. They have immune-supportive benefits which are something we all need this time of year!
Kumquat Recipes:
Rose Hips
Rose hips, which are the fruit of roses, are something that you may not find in stores, however in many areas during November you can easily find them on the rose bushes in your yard, or on wild rose bushes out in nature. Another option to add this amazingly health-beneficial fruit into your diet is to buy them online. Rose hips are red to orange in color and round or oblong in shape, often with tiny wisps of “hair” protruding from the bottom. Once you remove the tiny hairs inside the fruit which can be irritating to the digestive system, they can be eaten in many different ways!
This fruit has a very high concentration of vitamin C and has a tart and sweet flavor. One ounce of fresh rose hips contains 200% of your daily vitamin C! Rose hips can be eaten in cookies, jams, cocktails, or fermented drinks, and they have many medicinal benefits as well.
Rose Hip Recipes:
Reishi Mushroom Infused Red Wine with Rose Hips and Ashwagandha
Quince
Similar to a pear, but more round and bumpy, quince is a delicious fruit with delicate skin that is about the size of a large apple or bigger. Resembling a funny-shaped pear, they should be firm to the touch and super fragrant when ripe. Not to be eaten raw as they’re too astringent in taste, once cooked this is a delightful fruit that can be used to make jams, jellies, pudding, wine or steamed. They pair well with cinnamon and honey.
Quince contains vitamin C, antioxidants, and plenty of fiber. They have many nutrients and are immune supportive. Give this delicious and healthy fruit a try!
Quince Recipes:
Winter Squash
This November, we will celebrate winter squash for the fruit that it is! Oft thought of as a vegetable, squash is technically a fruit, and with how many varieties and edible options there are, I thought it would be good to add in this category. Winter squash is harvested in autumn and can store for long periods of time. You’ll want to look for one that has unblemished skin, although feel free to eat the warty or otherwise funky shaped ones without broken skins.
Some varieties of winter squash include delicata, acorn, Hubbard, spaghetti, kabocha, and of course ever popular butternut and pumpkin. You will find all of these aplenty in the produce section of stores, at markets, and perhaps even your own garden this month! Winter squash can be eaten in a variety of ways, simply roasted or steamed, blended into soups, or added to baked goods. Winter squash boasts vitamins A and C, fiber, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, and polysaccharides.
Winter Squash Recipes:
Butternut Squash Fritters with Millet
Cheesy Butternut Squash Casserole
5 Easy Ways to Cook Winter Squash
Lebanese Butternut Squash Stew
November Seasonal Vegetables
There are a variety of vegetables that are at their utmost freshness, most nutritious and at peak ripeness in November to keep your eye out for as you plan and shop. Some of these you’ll find in stores year-round, however, it’s best to eat seasonally so the produce has its highest nutrient content and to get a wide variety of earth-grown food into your body!
Carrots
Carrots are root vegetables that can grow into the autumn season. Most notably orange in color, carrots also come in a variety of colors from purple, to white, to yellow. Carrots can be eaten raw, dipped in hummus or other dips, are great in salads, roasted, juiced, or shredded into baked goods like carrot cake.
This popular and easy-to-eat veggie is loaded with vitamin A and beta-carotene, calcium, and vitamin K. Crunchy and nutritious, you’ll want to pick a firm and plump carrot that is bright orange (or other colors) without cracks.
Carrot Recipes:
Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies
Apple Beet Carrot Juice (ABC Drink)
Chard
Often called Swiss or rainbow chard, both the leaves and stems of this dark leafy green are edible. When buying, look for shiny, crisp, and perky leaves, with firm stems for peak ripeness. Chard can be eaten raw chopped and added to salads or in place of a tortilla for a wrap. It can also be eaten cooked, chopped, and thrown into a stir fry, soup, or stew, as well as sauteed with oil and garlic to be eaten as a side dish.
Chard has a high amount of vitamin K, and a generous amount of vitamin A. Considered a nutritional powerhouse, this amazing leafy green also boasts vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, iron, and fiber. Delicious, healthy, and in-season!
Chard Recipes:
Spaghetti Squash Aglio E Olio with Rainbow Chard
Arugula
Arugula is a delicate fall green that you’ll want to be crisp with no mushy parts when you find it. It has a peppery taste and can be eaten either raw or cooked. Sometimes considered gourmet, arugula can make its own salad greens, be added to a mix, can go inside a sandwich or wrap, and pairs well with warm foods like couscous and roasted veggies.
Arugula is full of calcium, folate, potassium, and B vitamins along with vitamins C, and K. You’ll definitely want to add this deliciously peppery green to your meals this month!
Arugula Recipes:
Arugula Salad with Strawberries and Spicy Vinaigrette
Fennel
Fennel is a unique and delicious crispy vegetable that has a mild licorice flavor when eaten raw, and pairs wonderfully with dips. When cooked, fennel softens and the flavor lightens, making it a wonderful addition to soups and stews. It can also be roasted or sauteed. The bulb, as well as the fronds, are edible, the feathery leaves can be used in salads, soups, or as a garnish.
Fennel is full of vitamin C and antioxidants, so grab some up when you see it so you can add it to a veggie dip platter, or any other variety of options!
Fennel Recipes:
Fennel, Tomato, Rosemary, and Onion Cast Iron Focaccia Bread
Grilled Radicchio Salad with Fennel and Soft Boiled Egg
Kale
Kale is a dark green leafy vegetable that is hardy and nutritious and can withstand growing late into the autumn season, depending on your area. It should be easy to find in grocery stores and markets right now, and when picking out the best ones, look for a firm stalk and that is all green and not browning, wilted, or mushy. Kale comes in several varieties, such as curly, lacinato (aka dinosaur), ornamental, red, and many others. Kale can be eaten raw chopped in salads, added to smoothies, or cooked added to soups and stews, sauteed in a stir fry, or roasted into crispy and delicious chips!
Kale is a wonderful super green that is a perfect addition to your late autumn and winter diet as it has iron, fiber, antioxidants, calcium, and many vitamins including C and K. I like to add it to a winter salad with pomegranates and a vinaigrette dressing!
Kale Recipes:
Sweet Potatoes with Kale and Caramelized Onions
November is full of delicious, bright, and festive fruits and veggies that will brighten any cold day! It’s pretty amazing what the earth can continue to grow and produce even as temperatures drop, and the first frosts begin. The nutritional value that fresh fruits and vegetables provide us during each season is unmatched, so getting a monthly rotation and variety in our diets ensures that we are staying as healthy as we possibly can with our food choices!
In Conclusion
I am in high hopes that this November Produce Guide inspires you to eat seasonally, shop a wide variety of naturally grown foods, and plan healthful and flavorful meals and snacks that are nutritionally beneficial for everyone. There is truly so much beauty, taste, and benefit that come from a seasonal-inspired diet!