The 55 things in the Typed food library at their best in July — 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 January.
New this month
Not in season in June, in season now.
Last month for these
Gone by August.
Everything in season in July
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- PineappleContains bromelain — the same enzyme sold as a digestive supplement.
- 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.
- 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.
- SpinachThe Popeye story about spinach and iron is not quite true.
- 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