I cannot go a single day without eating fruit. Sometimes, and I know this is crazy, I crave fruit over classic treats such as chocolate, cake and cookies. The other day, I got a watermelon from Trader Joe’s, and it tasted god-awful. That’s when I realized that I have no business buying watermelons during winter. I also realized that I have no idea when my favorite fruits are in season — in other words, when are fruits ripe for enjoying in peace in California?

Fall

When I think of autumn, I think of pumpkin spiced lattes, apple tarts and butternut squash soup. In reality, from September to December, apples, figs, grapes, huckleberries, melons, limes, pears and even pomegranates are in season. I’m not too fond of these fruits except for one: pomegranates. It’s one of the top-tier fruits available in the fall, and you can try making a sparkling pomegranate screwdriver mocktail or enjoy the kernels as they are! If you’re feeling extra healthy, why not enjoy your apples in a simple kale salad instead?

Winter

Winter time strikes me as a time to enjoy warm soups and holiday treats instead of chowing down on sweet, juicy fruits. However, a lot of fruits are in season from December to March, including grapefruit, kiwis, kumquats, oranges, persimmons and tangerines. Try making orange vanilla granola to warm up your cold winter morning meals, or if you don’t care about the cold, enjoy a grapefruit mocktail. 

Spring

Springtime is merely an opening act for summer, but nevertheless, spring has a harvest to be proud of — from March to May, you can enjoy apricots, cherries, lemons and strawberries. Grapefruit and kiwi also stay in season for your enjoyment in the spring. You could whip up a classic strawberry shortcake, an apricot tart or glazed blueberry lemon pancakes. Did someone say dessert for breakfast?

Summer 

Finally, we arrive at the season with the best fruit harvest, which is my opinion as a self-proclaimed professional fruit connoisseur. I’ve spent many long, warm summer days with my family, all of us huddled over a huge bowl containing fruit such as blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupes, mangoes, nectarines, peaches, plums, raspberries and, of course, watermelons. With a bountiful harvest such as this, there are endless ways to enjoy summer fruits on a hot day. For one, you could enjoy watermelon in a feta salad or in a Korean-styled punch. Check out 20 ways to enjoy peaches, and we don’t suggest enjoying them the way they were in “Call Me By Your Name.” Have the best of both worlds with peaches and blueberries baked into a pie! If you want something to cool you off while you sit outside, why not try making some mango ice cream?

We at the Clog could go on all day about the millions of inventive ways to amp up the deliciousness of fruits, but that would waste valuable time that could be spent stuffing our faces with fruits. Hopefully, this inspires you to empty your fruit bowl!