The 20 things in the Typed food library at their best in April — cheapest, most local, and grown outdoors rather than under glass or shipped. These are open-ground growing seasons for the northern hemisphere; in the southern hemisphere read this page as October.
New this month
Not in season in March, in season now.
Last month for these
Gone by May.
Everything in season in April
- AsparagusA prebiotic fibre source, famous for a harmless and genetically variable side effect.
- BananaA practical potassium source — tablets are capped far lower for safety.
- Bok ChoyBok choy is a crunchy, low-calorie green that quietly packs a lot of bone-friendly vitamin K and immune-supporting vitamin C.
- CabbageAn underrated vitamin C source, and the raw material for sauerkraut and kimchi.
- CauliflowerBroccoli’s milder cousin, with a gentler version of the same compounds.
- Daikon RadishDaikon is a crunchy, watery radish that's low in calories but surprisingly high in vitamin C, and its natural enzymes may give your stomach a small hand with starchy food.
- GrapefruitGrapefruit is packed with vitamin C, but it can also make certain medicines act stronger than they should.
- LeeksA milder relative of onion and garlic, with its own prebiotic fibre.
- LemonA real vitamin C source — though the lemon water detox claims go well past the evidence.
- Lemon PeelMost of a lemon's fibre and aroma is in the skin, not the juice.
- MangoOne of the few fruits genuinely rich in both vitamin C and vitamin A.
- Napa CabbageNapa cabbage is a light, crunchy vegetable that gives you vitamin C for your immune system and vitamin K for strong bones — for almost no calories.
- OrangeA genuinely good vitamin C source, with fibre a pill does not give you.
- PineappleContains bromelain — the same enzyme sold as a digestive supplement.
- RadishRadishes are mostly water and crunch, but that spicy bite is doing real work in your body.
- Red CabbageRed cabbage is green cabbage with a superpower: the purple pigment that gives it color is also a strong antioxidant, and that same pigment changes color when it touches something acidic or basic.
- RhubarbA very low-calorie, high-fiber stalk vegetable with a distinctly tart bite.
- RocketRocket is in the mustard family, not the lettuce family, and that is where the peppery taste comes from.
- SpinachThe Popeye story about spinach and iron is not quite true.
- WatercressWatercress is a peppery little green that punches way above its weight -- basically a multivitamin with crunch.
A season says when something is at its best, not what is on the shelf. Almost all of this is available all year through glasshouses, controlled-atmosphere storage and imports — the season is the thing the price tag hides.
Other months