March

The 21 things in the Typed food library at their best in March — 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 September.

New this month

Not in season in February, in season now.

• PineappleContains bromelain — the same enzyme sold as a digestive supplement.
• SpinachThe Popeye story about spinach and iron is not quite true.

Last month for these

Gone by April.

• KaleA calcium source your body genuinely absorbs, unlike spinach’s.
• KiwiMore vitamin C than an orange, plus a genuine digestive enzyme.
• OnionsA prebiotic fibre source that feeds gut bacteria much like an inulin supplement.
• TurnipTurnips are a low-calorie root packed with vitamin C, and their leafy tops are even more nutritious than the root itself.
• CeleriacCeleriac looks like a dirt-covered brain, but it's really celery's underground cousin — and it's loaded with vitamin K, potassium, and fiber.
• Scallions (Green Onions)A few tablespoons of chopped scallions can give you more vitamin K than you'd expect from a simple garnish.
• Blood OrangeBlood oranges look different because of a special red pigment — not because they have way more vitamin C than regular oranges.

Everything in season in March

• BananaA practical potassium source — tablets are capped far lower for safety.
• Blood OrangeBlood oranges look different because of a special red pigment — not because they have way more vitamin C than regular oranges.
• 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.
• CeleriacCeleriac looks like a dirt-covered brain, but it's really celery's underground cousin — and it's loaded with vitamin K, potassium, and fiber.
• GrapefruitGrapefruit is packed with vitamin C, but it can also make certain medicines act stronger than they should.
• KaleA calcium source your body genuinely absorbs, unlike spinach’s.
• KiwiMore vitamin C than an orange, plus a genuine digestive enzyme.
• 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.
• 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.
• OnionsA prebiotic fibre source that feeds gut bacteria much like an inulin supplement.
• OrangeA genuinely good vitamin C source, with fibre a pill does not give you.
• PineappleContains bromelain — the same enzyme sold as a digestive supplement.
• 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.
• Scallions (Green Onions)A few tablespoons of chopped scallions can give you more vitamin K than you'd expect from a simple garnish.
• SpinachThe Popeye story about spinach and iron is not quite true.
• TurnipTurnips are a low-calorie root packed with vitamin C, and their leafy tops are even more nutritious than the root itself.

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