Seaonality Apparent

The seasonality of fruit is evident here in a way it is not in American supermarkets, where apples, oranges, pineapples, and strawberries are available year-round, albeit in mediocre quality. When I first arrived in Morocco in late February, strawberries were literally everywhere, spilling out of crates in market stands and piled in wheelbarrows for less than 50¢ a pound. Oranges, too, were cheap and easy to find. 

Oranges were everywhere in late winter

  Over the next few weeks, various types of fruit appeared and disappeared: cherimoyas from March to May, cactus fruits for a few brief weeks in April, and a strange apricot-like type from March to April. Melons arrived in late April, followed soon after by the first stone fruits: cherries and tiny plums. In mid-May, we started to see apricots, peaches, and nectarines. Last week, in early June, fresh figs arrived! The green ones came first, followed a few days later by black ones.

Cactus fruits made a brief appearance in April

 Prices changed to reflect limited supply and high demand: the first cherries I saw in the market were 27 dirham (about $3.25) per kilo, the next day they dropped to 15 dirham and stayed at that price for the next few weeks. Similarly, strawberries were 10 dirham per kilo for weeks, but crept up to 12 and 14 dirham per kilo near the end of the season. Interestingly, the prices then dropped to 8 for the rare crate I did see - it seemed that no one wanted out of season strawberries.

A mysterious apricot-like spring fruit

 After seeing the changes in the fruit available in the markets, I realized that I had only vague ideas of what is in season when in my state, Minnesota. I did some reading and was surprised to learn how much we can grow. In the spring, mostly salad greens and some early vegetables, such as cauliflower, peas, potatoes, radishes, asparagus, sprouts, and rhubarb are in, many lasting into June, July, and August. We have a huge range of vegetables available in the summer, everything from bell peppers to sweet corn, beans, tomatoes, summer squash, eggplant, Brussels sprouts, celery, carrots, and cucumber. Minnesota produces a surprising amount of fruit as well, including apples, berries, melons, grapes, and plums.

Melons appeared in late April and early May

We can find lots of these same vegetables and fruits in early fall, and as the cold weather begins, we get winter squash, pumpkins, and more apples! While not much is growing during the winter, fruits and vegetables that store well, such as winter squash, apples, potatoes, turnips, beets, carrots, onions, and garlic are available.  

Delicious nectarines in late spring

 Of course, in Minnesota, we import much of our fresh produce. Avocados, bananas, and lemons are always in season somewhere, and thus always available. In the spring, cherimoyas, apricots, citrus, and mango appear. In the summer, berries, peaches and nectarines, pears, and melons from other parts of the country proliferate.  In the fall, we get persimmons, pomegranate, quince, passion fruit, guava, and grapes, giving way to dates, kiwis, chestnuts, clementines, tangerines, oranges, and papaya in the winter.

Figs in the first few days of June

 Why does seasonality matter? Many people will tell you that fruits and vegetables in season taste better. When fruit needs to be shipped long distances, it often loses flavor as well as nutrients. Buying in season also lets you buy local, which often, but not always, means less energy used for transportation. Finally, it offers a different kind of connection to food, one that is lost in our sterile, brightly lit supermarkets. It reminds us of the changes in the seasons and the rhythms of place, creating a deeper sense of belonging to that place. I never feel more Minnesotan than when I'm eating sweet corn in late July, or biting into a crisp Haralson apple on an equally crisp October day, or roasting local squash on a cold December evening. Local, in season fruits and vegetables are one of the things I'm looking forward to most when I head back to the States in a few months.

Local squash from the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum