Winter may seem like a time for cozying up with soups, stews, and hearty winter veggies like squash, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower—but don't forget about fruit! Summer berries and stone fruits might not make an appearance, but there are plenty of seasonal varieties best enjoyed with snow on the ground. On this list, you'll find fruits that are probably available at your grocery store anytime of the year, but are in their prime—and will definitely taste best—during the winter months. Spoiler: Citrus is king. Lemons, oranges, and grapefruits are all in season during this time. Maybe this year for the holidays you make a bright and zesty citrus salad to go alongside that roast?!
Clementine
These are the perfect little transportable citrus snack. And thanks to the heat of the South, they're available starting in December.
Grapefruit
Okay, serious question: Do you peel your grapefruit or cut it open and eat it with a spoon? I find it a bit too tart and slightly bitter to eat on its own without a sprinkle of sugar to balance it out. Either way, you'll have plenty of the softball-sized citrus starting in January all the way through early summer.
Here's a hack: Instead of peeling these, slice them open and scoop out each bite with a spoon. Typically, they are available starting in the winter through the spring, at least the ones grown in California. They are sweet with tiny, edible, crunchy black seeds. Though it isn't the most pleasant, you can totally eat the fuzzy skin.
Kumquat
You've never had a kumquat? Well, the cold weather is now an excuse to try one. It looks like an oval-shaped orange and is sweet and a little tart in flavor. You can even eat their peel! They come into season December through April.
Lemon
What a perfect time to make a refreshing glass of lemonade, in the middle of winter? Well, it might not be associated with cold weather, but both lemons and Meyer lemons—which are larger and much more sour in flavor—are in season during the winter months, November through April.
Orange
If you couldn't tell by the earlier listings on this list, winter is all about citrus! It's the best time to enjoy those sweet, juicy, and sour little fruits, oranges included. Look out for these November through May. Blood Oranges, the prettier cousin of regular oranges, is also in season. These are subtly sweet with hints of raspberry and cherry. Quite the complex fruit, if you ask me.
Persimmon
It may look like a tomato, but it definitely doesn't taste like one. You'll probably compare a persimmon more to an apricot, flavor-wise, with the skin of an apple, and you'll best enjoy them October through January. Eat them fresh, simmer them into a jam, or blend them into your smoothie.
Pomelo
Like a grapefruit, only bigger, sweeter, juicier, and, some may say, better. You can find pomelos year round, but they are at their peak December through February. They are native to Southeast Asia, but they grow in Florida and California too.
Tangerine
All the citrus on this list may be making you dizzy, but just think of tangerines as a slightly sweeter, more honey-tasting version of an orange (sign us up). You'll get the best ones November through April.
