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Home » Eat what's in season » The practical produce guide, April 2025

The practical produce guide, April 2025

A guide for fruits & vegetables in season in April.

The produce in season for April finally brings us some new fruits and vegetables. This month look for asparagus, artichokes, peas, and sweet onions. In most places, you'll also be able to find early season cherries, strawberries, and rhubarb.

In the first half of April, the new seasonal produce is probably shipped in from California or other warmer states. By the end of the month and into May, they'll start showing up at local farmers markets.

Produce in season for April, including several spring fruits and vegetables: cherries, strawberries, grapefruit, mandarins, kumquats, kiwi, asparagus, artichokes, spring peas, celery root, rhubarb, and sweet onions.
Jump to:
  • What fruits are in season in April?
  • What vegetables are in season in April?
  • Produce guides for April

What fruits are in season in April?

April is the last chance to get several varieties of citrus fruits, like mandarins and kumquats. Grapefruit are available most of the year, thanks to the climate differences between California, Texas, and Florida.

We start to see the first spring fruit show up this month: cherries and strawberries. Rhubarb is also in season, and while it's technically a vegetable, it's treated as a fruit for culinary purposes.

Cherries are in season from mid-spring to mid-summer. Pick the best ones and store them right with these tips (and recipes!)

Cherries

Cherry season is actually quite short, so keep an eye out for them at the farmers market while you can. In warmer climates, start looking for them in April, however their peak season can be as late as June or early July in cooler climates.

They'll be available at grocery stores nationwide, however, because they ship fairly well compared to most fruit. This means that cherries imported from other states will still have good flavor.

Sour cherries are great for pies, but they aren't in season until June (unless you buy them frozen).

  • Cherries are in season from mid-spring to mid-summer. Pick the best ones and store them right with these tips (and recipes!)
    Cherries
  • sweet and sour cherries on a table to promote cherry recipes
    50 cherry recipes to catch your interest (cheese plates & pies to salads & steak)
  • Sweet and tart sour cherry pies on a table
    Cherry pie: are sweet or sour cherries best?
Strawberries are in season from mid-spring through summer and into early-fall.

Strawberries

Warmer climates can enjoy locally-grown strawberries in April, but they won't be in season in cooler climates until May or even June. If you want strawberries with good flavor, it's worth waiting until they are in season near you, when you can buy them from a local market.

Strawberries that are shipped in this month from warmer regions won't be as flavorful. That's because they need to be picked while still hard and unripe, in order to hold up during long-distance shipping.

They are picked when their color is still mostly white, but they continue to turn red after harvest. Unfortunately, this makes it incredibly difficult to know if strawberries from the store will be flavorful.

Early strawberries may be also greenhouse grown (which is fine, but often lack flavor), so visit a farmers market or UPick to get better tasting ones.

Strawberry recipes to try in April:

  • A flourless chocolate torte (also a flourless chocolate cake), topped with roasted strawberries. A recipe that makes 4 servings.
    Flourless chocolate torte with roasted strawberries
  • Strawberry rhubarb bars with fresh rhubarb and strawberries in the foreground
    Strawberry rhubarb oatmeal bars with fresh fruit
  • Homemade strawberry rhubarb cream cheese spread on a bagel, next to other bagels and fresh fruit.
    Strawberry rhubarb cream cheese
  • A strawberry spinach salad with feta on a plate, on a summer picnic table
    Strawberry spinach salad with feta & fried rosemary
  • Strawberry salad dressing with poppy seeds on a table
    Strawberry salad dressing with poppy seeds
  • A jar of strawberry rhubarb jam made without pectin, next to fresh strawberries and rhubarb stalks
    Strawberry rhubarb jam (without pectin)
Rhubarb is in season from April through July.

Rhubarb

Rhubarb is so tart, it's sour. If you've ever eaten it raw, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. But once it's cooked and paired with complementary foods, this fruit-masquerading vegetable adds depth and intrigue to recipes.

Rhubarb is often added to sweet recipes to balance out the sugars, like strawberry-rhubarb pie or a streussel-topped quickbread. But it can also be used in savory recipes like sweet & sour pork or with grilled meats.

Recipes

I gathered a whole bunch of recipes for cooking with fruit in April. It includes recipes like strawberry tiramisu, rhubarb donuts, and salmon with kiwi salsa.

  • Strawberries on a white background. April recipes using seasonal fruit.
    Recipes for using fruit in April
  • strawberry recipes - bread
    Strawberry recipes: from shortcakes to BBQ sauce
  • sweet and sour cherries on a table to promote cherry recipes
    50 cherry recipes to catch your interest (cheese plates & pies to salads & steak)
  • Rhubarb recipes
    50 rhubarb recipes: sweet & savory
Fruits and vegetables in season during April

What vegetables are in season in April?

April also brings in other produce for the season: spring vegetables like artichokes, asparagus, peas, fresh local herbs, and edible flowers (nasturtium, pansies, and chive blossoms). I've highlighted some of the best vegetables you'll find this month.

asparagus in season

Asparagus

Asparagus is the quintessential spring vegetable and shows up in grocery stores later in March, where it's usually shipped in from California. It ships well but loses flavor quickly after harvest. But this month, you should be able to start finding local sources, even in cooler climates.

The best option is to buy them from a farmers market where they were likely harvested that day. Freshly harvested asparagus is higher in sugar and has a better flavor and texture.

Thin asparagus spears are great for steaming and sauteing, whereas thicker spears hold up better to the high heat of grilling and roasting. See all of the different ways to cook asparagus and the best recipes for using them.

Interested in growing your own asparagus? Check out my garden guide that explains exactly how asparagus grows and the best varieties for your region.

  • Baguette roll with sliced asapragus, goat cheese, olives, and lettuce
    Picnic sandwich with asparagus and goat cheese
  • A pan of asparagus risotto with ham mixed in
    Asparagus risotto with ham
  • Plate of pasta with asparagus and nasturtium leaves and flowers on the table
    Nasturtium pesto pasta with asparagus
  • Eggs Benedict with asparagus, deli ham, and a fried over easy egg that was easy and quick to make. Set on a wood cutting board backdrop.
    Shortcut eggs Benedict with asparagus

Artichokes

Artichokes are a Mediterranean vegetable, which means the US production is limited to the mild pars of California. But they ship well enough, so the rest of us can enjoy them as well. They should be available at most grocery stores in April.

Look for artichokes with tightly closed tips. Open leaves are a sign it's overripe. For more information on artichokes, visit my seasonal artichoke guide and tips on how to cook artichokes.

sweet onion: vidalia, walla walla, maui

Sweet onions

Sweet onions aren't actually sweet, instead they have less 'bite.' The chemical that gives onions their traditional harsh (but delicious) onion flavor is much lower in sweet onions.

This makes them ideal for using in recipes where you don't want onions to overpower the dish. For example, sometimes a milder onion flavor is better for salads, dressings, dips, or even traditional things like onion rings or french onion soup.

While most onions are available in good quality all year, sweet onions do have a season. They are available from April until September.

Recipes for vegetables

A classic veggie dessert this month is carrot cake and I have the perfect recipe for you.

Layered carrot cake with cream cheese frosting (easy!)
Make a carrot cake layered with cream cheese frosting. The recipe is even easy for beginners and doesn't require a lot of equipment.
Carrot cake recipe
Carrot cake layered with cream cheese frosting

Enjoy these spring vegetables with some seasonal recipe collections.

  • Pasta with asparagus and flowers, recipes for April vegetables
    April recipes: vegetables
  • How to cook asparagus
    How to cook asparagus: 10 methods & 50 recipes
  • Baguette roll with sliced asapragus, goat cheese, olives, and lettuce
    Picnic sandwich with asparagus and goat cheese
  • Edible parts of an artichoke, in a diagram
    How to prep artichokes & 8 cooking methods
  • Sweet onion recipes for spring & summer
    40+ Sweet onion recipes: dinner, dips, and french onion riffs

Produce guides for April

Check out any of the produce guides for April to get more detailed information for each fruit and vegetable in season this month. Each guide includes the seasonality, tips for picking and storing them so they last longer, and of course, recipes!

If you have any questions, leave a comment so I can get you an answer.

Artichokes are in season
Artichokes
asparagus in season
Asparagus
When are blood oranges in season? Get the full scoop along with how to pick the best ones and store them.
Blood oranges
Celery in season
Celery
When is celery root in season? How to pick the best ones and store them.
Celery root (celeriac)
Cherries are in season from mid-spring to mid-summer. Pick the best ones and store them right with these tips (and recipes!)
Cherries
Grapefruits are in season in winter. More on picking the best ones & recipes.
Grapefruit
Kiwi in season cut in half to show green flesh
Kiwi
Kumquats are in season in the middle of winter to early spring.
Kumquats
Mandarins are in season throughout winter and early spring.
Mandarin oranges
Types of wild mushrooms, maitake, shiitake, portobello, oyster
Mushrooms
Sugar snap and shelling peas are in season in spring, summer and fall. Get more info on picking the best ones, storing them and of course, recipes.
Peas
Pink pineberries in season
Pineberries
Rhubarb is in season from April through July.
Rhubarb
Strawberries are in season from mid-spring through summer and into early-fall.
Strawberries
sweet onions (vidalia, walla walla), in season
Sweet onions

If you're wondering what else is currently in season, check out my calendars to see what produce is in season each month (and coming up soon).

Seasonal calendars
Get a full list of fruits & vegetables in season for each month.
See what's in season
January produce in season on a table
  • Strawberries in baskets on a farm, with text May produce guide & recipes
    A practical produce guide, May 2025
  • Kabobs over the grill with text, "produce & recipe guide for June"
    The practical produce guide - June 2025
  • The practical produce guide: July 2025
  • Produce & recipe guide for what's in season in August, with figs
    The practical produce guide for August, 2025

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About the Food Geek

Welcome, I'm Veronica, your resident food geek - experienced recipe developer and gardener. My goal is to help you enjoy eating at home by knowing what fruits & vegetables are currently in season and the best ways to use them. To do that, I've put together seasonal produce guides and recipes with practical advice.

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