August

The 66 things in the Typed food library at their best in August — 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 February.

New this month

Not in season in July, in season now.

• Acorn SquashAcorn squash looks plain, but one cooked cup gives you more potassium than a banana, plenty of fiber, and a good hit of vitamin C.
• BlackberriesOne of the few fruits with enough vitamin K that it matters for anyone on blood thinners.
• Butternut SquashButternut squash's orange color is basically a vitamin A signal, but your body only turns as much of it into usable vitamin A as it needs, and cooking plus a little fat helps that process along.
• Chayote SquashChayote is basically water with a crunch, but it quietly delivers a solid dose of folate.
• FennelCrunchy raw fennel is a low-calorie veggie that can calm an upset stomach while giving you vitamin C and potassium.
• FigsOne of the few fruits with a real calcium contribution, especially dried.
• GrapeThe different colours are mostly a difference in pigment, not in sugar.
• GrapesContains resveratrol — the same compound sold as a standalone supplement.
• OnionsA prebiotic fibre source that feeds gut bacteria much like an inulin supplement.
• Scallions (Green Onions)A few tablespoons of chopped scallions can give you more vitamin K than you'd expect from a simple garnish.
• Spaghetti SquashSpaghetti squash turns into noodle-like strands when you cook it, and it's mostly water -- so you get a big, filling plate for very few calories.
• SquashA summer squash, picked young — which is why it is watery and mild rather than sweet and starchy like a pumpkin.

Last month for these

Gone by September.

• StrawberriesA genuinely strong vitamin C source people do not associate with berries.
• MangoOne of the few fruits genuinely rich in both vitamin C and vitamin A.
• Tart CherriesOne of the few foods that naturally contains measurable melatonin.
• Snap PeasA handful of snap peas can cover your whole day's vitamin C, pod and all.
• Snow PeasSnow peas are the crunchy whole pod you eat, pea and all -- low calorie, high in vitamin C, and good for digestion.
• ApricotApricots are a sweet, low-calorie fruit loaded with vitamin A that helps your eyes, skin, and immune system -- just never eat the seed inside the pit.
• LycheeLychee is a sweet, juicy fruit packed with vitamin C — but eating a big bowl of them with an empty stomach is a real risk for young, malnourished kids.
• BlackcurrantBlackcurrants are small, tart berries loaded with vitamin C and deep purple plant compounds called anthocyanins that are good for your heart, eyes, and blood vessels.
• RedcurrantRedcurrants are a sour, ruby-red berry packed with vitamin C — and they're not the same as the dried "currants" you find in trail mix or muffins.
• GooseberryThis tangy little berry packs a real vitamin C punch — and it's not the same fruit as the "Indian gooseberry" people sometimes confuse it with.
• Sweet CherriesThe sleep research used tart cherry juice, not these. Worth knowing before you buy a punnet.
• CherryFresh, frozen and canned cherries are the same fruit with very different amounts of added sugar.
• CurrantFresh currants are a berry. Dried currants are tiny grapes. They are different plants that happen to share a name.

Everything in season in August

• Acorn SquashAcorn squash looks plain, but one cooked cup gives you more potassium than a banana, plenty of fiber, and a good hit of vitamin C.
• ApricotApricots are a sweet, low-calorie fruit loaded with vitamin A that helps your eyes, skin, and immune system -- just never eat the seed inside the pit.
• ArtichokeArtichokes are a fiber-packed flower bud that feeds your gut bacteria and gives your liver a gentle nudge to make more bile for digesting fat.
• BananaA practical potassium source — tablets are capped far lower for safety.
• BeetrootRaw, baked, boiled or canned — the cooking method changes this vegetable more than most.
• Bell PeppersContains more vitamin C per serving than an orange does.
• Bitter MelonBitter melon is a super low-calorie vegetable packed with vitamin C, and some studies show it can gently help lower blood sugar, but it's not a magic diabetes cure.
• BlackberriesOne of the few fruits with enough vitamin K that it matters for anyone on blood thinners.
• BlackcurrantBlackcurrants are small, tart berries loaded with vitamin C and deep purple plant compounds called anthocyanins that are good for your heart, eyes, and blood vessels.
• BlueberriesA mixture of hundreds of antioxidant compounds no single pill copies.
• BroccoliContains something no supplement quite copies — and it depends how you cook it.
• BroccoliniBroccolini is a friendly veggie hybrid with crunchy stems and a mild taste, and it packs a big dose of vitamin C and vitamin K into every bite.
• Butternut SquashButternut squash's orange color is basically a vitamin A signal, but your body only turns as much of it into usable vitamin A as it needs, and cooking plus a little fat helps that process along.
• CantaloupeCantaloupe is mostly water and natural sugar, but it still packs a real dose of vitamin C and vitamin A into every juicy bite.
• CapsicumGreen capsicums are just unripe red ones — and ripening is what builds the vitamin C and colour.
• CarrotsCooking actually makes its signature nutrient easier to absorb.
• CeleryFamous for being low-calorie, but the real story is fibre and potassium.
• Chayote SquashChayote is basically water with a crunch, but it quietly delivers a solid dose of folate.
• CherryFresh, frozen and canned cherries are the same fruit with very different amounts of added sugar.
• ChilliGreen chillies are just unripe red ones, and ripening is what builds up the colour and the vitamins.
• Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan)Chinese broccoli looks like a leafy stem vegetable, but it packs a serious punch of vitamins A, C, and K into very few calories.
• CornPart vegetable, part grain — and one of the best food sources of the eye pigments.
• CucumberMostly water by weight — which is exactly the point of it.
• CurrantFresh currants are a berry. Dried currants are tiny grapes. They are different plants that happen to share a name.
• 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.
• Davidson PlumA very tart native plum, rich in vitamin C and deep purple plant pigments.
• EggplantEggplant isn't a dangerous nightshade -- it's a low-calorie veggie with real fiber, and its purple skin holds most of the good stuff.
• FennelCrunchy raw fennel is a low-calorie veggie that can calm an upset stomach while giving you vitamin C and potassium.
• FigsOne of the few fruits with a real calcium contribution, especially dried.
• Garlic (Fresh)The compound behind its reputation only forms once you crush or chop it.
• GooseberryThis tangy little berry packs a real vitamin C punch — and it's not the same fruit as the "Indian gooseberry" people sometimes confuse it with.
• GrapeThe different colours are mostly a difference in pigment, not in sugar.
• GrapesContains resveratrol — the same compound sold as a standalone supplement.
• Green BeansGreen beans are a crunchy veggie that gives you fiber, vitamin C, and a bone-friendly vitamin called K — just make sure they're cooked, not raw.
• Honeydew MelonHoneydew is basically nature's flavored water — light, hydrating, and still packed with real vitamin C and potassium.
• Iceberg LettuceIceberg lettuce isn't "just crunchy water" - it's mostly water, but that water comes packaged with real vitamin K.
• LettuceNearly all water — but the darker the leaf, the more it actually gives you.
• LycheeLychee is a sweet, juicy fruit packed with vitamin C — but eating a big bowl of them with an empty stomach is a real risk for young, malnourished kids.
• MangoOne of the few fruits genuinely rich in both vitamin C and vitamin A.
• MelonAll melons are mostly water. The colour of the flesh tells you what else is in there.
• NectarineThe peach-plum-cross story about nectarines isn't true — it's just a peach without the fuzz.
• OnionsA prebiotic fibre source that feeds gut bacteria much like an inulin supplement.
• PapayaContains a digestive enzyme, plus one of the highest vitamin C counts of any fruit.
• PeachA solid source of vitamins A and C together, both tied to skin health.
• PlumPrunes aren't just an old home remedy -- real science backs them up for keeping you regular and for helping keep bones strong.
• RadishRadishes are mostly water and crunch, but that spicy bite is doing real work in your body.
• RaspberriesUnusually high in fibre for a fruit, and worth separating from the “raspberry ketone” pill sold under its name.
• RedcurrantRedcurrants are a sour, ruby-red berry packed with vitamin C — and they're not the same as the dried "currants" you find in trail mix or muffins.
• RocketRocket is in the mustard family, not the lettuce family, and that is where the peppery taste comes from.
• Romaine LettuceRomaine is mostly water and crunch, but it packs a real dose of vitamin K and vitamin A into very few calories.
• Scallions (Green Onions)A few tablespoons of chopped scallions can give you more vitamin K than you'd expect from a simple garnish.
• Silverbeet (Swiss Chard)A leafy green packed with vitamin A, plus iron and folate.
• Snap PeasA handful of snap peas can cover your whole day's vitamin C, pod and all.
• Snow PeasSnow peas are the crunchy whole pod you eat, pea and all -- low calorie, high in vitamin C, and good for digestion.
• Spaghetti SquashSpaghetti squash turns into noodle-like strands when you cook it, and it's mostly water -- so you get a big, filling plate for very few calories.
• SpinachThe Popeye story about spinach and iron is not quite true.
• SquashA summer squash, picked young — which is why it is watery and mild rather than sweet and starchy like a pumpkin.
• StrawberriesA genuinely strong vitamin C source people do not associate with berries.
• Sweet CherriesThe sleep research used tart cherry juice, not these. Worth knowing before you buy a punnet.
• SweetcornA vegetable that is really a grain, and one of the few good sources of the pigment that concentrates in the back of the eye.
• Swiss ChardOne cup of cooked Swiss chard packs a huge dose of vitamin K — great for most people, but something to watch closely if you take blood thinners like warfarin.
• Tart CherriesOne of the few foods that naturally contains measurable melatonin.
• TomatoesOne of the few foods where cooking increases what you get from it.
• WatercressWatercress is a peppery little green that punches way above its weight -- basically a multivitamin with crunch.
• WatermelonThe original natural source of citrulline — the same compound in the supplements.
• ZucchiniMild and mostly water, but a real source of potassium and gut-friendly fibre.

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