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Home » Eat what's in season » The practical produce guide: November 2024

The practical produce guide: November 2024

November lets us use the last of fall's seasonal fruit harvest while also enjoying winter citrus that show up this month (like grapefruit, kumquats, and clementines).

We've had some crazy weather around the country in September and October, from hurricanes to heat waves. Some harvest schedules have been affected, so you might find things a couple weeks earlier or later than usual.

November also brings cool weather produce into the kitchen that's great for roasting, cooking into soups, and adding to salads. And don't forget about Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving menu + make ahead recipes
I always make the classics, but with little twists. A sweet potato casserole with a bacon-pecan crumble, a homemade make-ahead green bean casserole, and more.
Check it out
A pumpkin pie, pumpkins, and nuts on a table for make-ahead Thanksgiving recipes
Fruits and vegetables in season for November

This produce guide highlights the fruit and vegetables in season throughout November, along with recipes for you to enjoy.

Jump to:
  • Fruits in season
  • Vegetables in season
  • Thanksgiving & other seasonal recipes

Fruits in season

The best fruit in November will be late season apples, pears, and cranberries. They will all be readily available and high quality. The other fruit seasons are either starting or ending and can be a little more sporadic or harder to find.

Apples in season, on a wood table

Apples

Some of the best fruit this month are late season apples:

  • Braeburn and Northern Spy are the best apples for pie this late in the season
  • Fuji is best for fresh eating
  • Pink Lady are great for cheese boards and salads, since they are slow to brown
  • Golden Russet and Winesap are a top notch option for making cider due to their natural pie-spice flavors

You can also try your hand at preserving the last of the harvest with apple butter or cinnamon sugar apple sauce. Don't overlook apple chips too - I have the perfect apple chip recipe for the oven.

Pears in season, whole and cut in half

Pears

Bartlett pears are best for eating fresh, but use Bosc or D'Anjou in baking as they will hold up better in high heat. Comice are great for a cheese board.

I also add pears to my cranberry sauce recipe for Thanksgiving. They add a natural sweetness that gives more depth than just sugar alone.

Low sugar cranberry sauce with pears
Pears add sweetness and texture to this whole cranberry sauce, so added sugar can be reduced
Check it out
Low sugar cranberry sauce in a bowl next to Bartlett pears, on a thanksgiving board

Cranberries

These tart little berries are in season from September through December. But they get overlooked outside of Thanksgiving's cranberry sauce recipes.

Try using cranberries to add a bright flavor to stews, a tray of roasted vegetables, salad dressing, or on top of a cheesecake.

  • Cranberry nut bread slices with toasted pecans and fresh cranberries
    Cranberry nut bread with toasted pecans
  • Fresh cranberry sauce recipe
    Cranberry sauce recipes: boozy, fruity, floral, and spicy
  • Cranberry recipes: salad dressing
    50 cranberry recipes using fresh cranberries
  • How to fix bitter cranberry sauce fast and easy
    Bitter cranberry sauce? How to fix it quick!
Fresh pomegranates in season

Pomegranates

Fresh pomegranates are available at stores this month. One pomegranate usually has 6-8 ounces of seeds (also called arils), and they are great on fall salads or roasted vegetables.

Pomegranate recipes

Ripe figs in season

Figs

November marks the end of fig season, so now is your last chance to buy this fruit. Their flavor is perfect for fall, especially when roasted with vegetables, added to a fall salad, or baked into a warm dessert like these fresh fig oatmeal bars.

Fig recipes

Red and green grapes in season

Grapes

While grocery stores provide grapes year-round, they are only in season in the US from June through November. This is when you'll find the more fun varieties too. Outside of their season you'll get the standard red, black, and green varieties.

Try roasting them and adding to a salad, on top of sweet potatoes, or alongside steak. Roasting softens the fruit, tames the acidity, and gives them an almost honey-like sweetness.

Grape recipes

Kiwi in season cut in half to show green flesh

Kiwi

Kiwi season starts in fall and continues into spring for US-grown fruit. (The ones we get in summer are imported). Try using kiwi as a marinade this month - the enzymes in kiwi have unique meat-tenderizing qualities.

grapefruit

Grapefruit

Grapefruit season starts in November from Texas and Florida. Ruby Red and Flame grapefruit tend to be the sweetest varieties, and pink grapefruit are often less bitter.

On a cold fall night, try roasting chicken with a grapefruit-honey glaze, replace spring rolls with winter rolls dipped in a grapefruit-hoisin sauce, or some caramelized grapefruit for dessert. Get these grapefruit recipes and more.

Grapefruit poppy seed muffins
Light & fluffy with a big poppy seed flavor and a hint of grapefruit, made in one bowl.
Check it out
Grapefruit poppy seed muffins on a table with slices of fresh grapefruit

Mandarins

Mandarin and clementine season starts in November, often sold under the Halo or Cutie brands. The fruit is usually sweeter later in the season, however. This month, try using them to make a citrus & herb roasted turkey.

Mandarin recipes

Candied orange peels
These are easy and work great with oranges, mandarins, and clementines
Check it out
Candied orange peels in a basket next to fresh oranges
Do Sumo citrus mandarins deserve the hype?
Check it out
A sumo citrus mandarin and segmented slices (also known as a Dekopon).
Kumquats are in season in the middle of winter to early spring.

Kumquats

Kumquats are tiny little citrus fruits the size of grapes with a sweet & sour flavor. The entire fruit is edible - the rind is sweet and aromatic while the flesh is very tart. The seeds, while edible, are usually spit out because of their bitterness.

Try a kumquat upside down cake and other kumquat recipes.

Produce guides for fruit

Check out the produce guides for selection & storage tips, seasonal recipes, and more, for the fruits in season this month.

Apples in season, how to choose and store
Apples
Cranberries in season
Cranberries
Ripe figs in season
Figs
Grapefruits are in season in winter. More on picking the best ones & recipes.
Grapefruit
Red and green grapes in season
Grapes
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
Pears in season, whole and cut in half
Pears
Fresh pomegranates in season
Pomegranates

Vegetables in season

The cool November weather is perfect for roasting root vegetables (like parsnips and sweet potatoes), brassicas (like brussels sprouts), and winter squash (like pumpkins and butternut squash).

Brussels Sprouts in Season

Brussels sprouts

Roasting brussels sprouts brings out the sweet and nutty flavors, while also taming their bitterness. Adding bacon, maple syrup, and cheese also helps reduce bitter flavors from brussels sprouts thanks to the extra sugar and fat.

Get over 50 recipes

Parsnips are in season in fall

Parsnips

Parsnips have a nutty, slightly sweet taste when they are in-season, with hints of cinnamon or nutmeg. These flavors really come through when roasted and caramelize really well thanks to their sugar content. In fact, parsnips were used to sweeten foods before sugar cane was widely available.

Parsnip recipes

Sweet potatoes in season

Sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes are in season from September through December, but they store quite well and can be found all year at fairly high quality. Outside of Thanksgiving casseroles, try making a sweet potato soup or baking your own chips.

Types of mushrooms in season: maitake, oyster, shiitake, portobello

Mushrooms

Freshly harvested mushrooms are available this month. Look for oyster mushrooms, black trumpet, and lions mane (to name a few).

King oyster mushrooms in season
King Oyster Mushrooms
A lion's mane mushroom from the farmers market in fall
Lion's mane mushrooms
Shiitake mushrooms, caps and stems
Shiitake mushrooms
Cremini mushrooms
Cremini mushrooms
Wild maitake mushrooms, also know as hen of the woods. It has a frilly texture and very strong flavor.
Maitake mushrooms (hen of the woods)
Portobello mushroom with large cap and gills exposed.
Portobello mushrooms
Fresh morel mushrooms during spring
Morel mushrooms
gray oyster mushrooms in season
Oyster mushrooms
Comparing honeynut to butternut squash (which is twice the size and has paler skin)

Pumpkins & winter squash

Winter squash are such a diverse and fun category of vegetables, with so many different uses.

  • Pumpkins: sugar pie pumpkins make the best puree
  • Butternut squash: roast or using in a soup
  • Acorn squash: cut in half, stuff, then roast
  • Spaghetti squash: shredded flesh is great pan fried and added to a salad or as a side dish

You can also roast squash seeds from any type of winter squash. Some smaller ones, like honeynut or delicata only have about ¼ cup of seeds each, but it's still worth roasting for a personal sized snack.

You can roast them in high heat for 7-8 minutes, no rinsing or cleaning required. Or roast them low & slow for an extra crispy, never burnt snack.

When is celery root in season? How to pick the best ones and store them.

Celery root

If you haven't eaten celery root before, give it a try this month. You eat the root, which tastes like a cross between celery and a potato, with a potato-like texture. It's great for roasting or adding to soups.

Healthy kale Caesar salad with chicken
A new take on a caesar salad with chicken - perfect for winter
Check it out
Kale Caesar salad with chicken

Celery, cucumbers, and peas

While these vegetables are often available all year, they grow best in cool weather when they can produce the best flavor and texture. If you haven't bought fresh celery from the farmers market in fall, try seeking it out and notice the more pronounced flavor and less-stringy texture.

Broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, and potatoes

These are in season in fall, but are also available year round at very high quality. Enjoy them in any of your fall recipes this month.

Produce guides for vegetables

Check out the produce guides for selection & storage tips, seasonal recipes, and more, for the vegetables in season this month.

Brussels Sprouts in Season
Brussels sprouts
Celery in season
Celery
When is celery root in season? How to pick the best ones and store them.
Celery root (celeriac)
Cucumbers are in season in summer. Learn how to pick cucumbers and store them, along with seasonal recipes
Cucumbers
Types of wild mushrooms, maitake, shiitake, portobello, oyster
Mushrooms
When are parsnips in season? Pick the best ones and store them right to last even longer.
Parsnips
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
Winter squash in season
Pumpkins, butternut & other winter squash
Sweet potatoes in season
Sweet potatoes

Thanksgiving & other seasonal recipes

Thanksgiving cranberry sauces and apple pies are a perfect seasonal treat, but I also have recipes for the rest of the month too.

  • A pumpkin pie, pumpkins, and nuts on a table for make-ahead Thanksgiving recipes
    Thanksgiving menu + make ahead recipes
  • Green bean casserole with fresh green beans, topped with fried onions
    Green bean casserole using fresh green beans & mushrooms
  • apple pie on a pile of red and green apples
    The best (and worst) apples for pie
  • Low sugar cranberry sauce in a bowl next to Bartlett pears, on a thanksgiving board
    Low-sugar cranberry sauce with pears
  • Fresh cranberry sauce recipe
    Cranberry sauce recipes: boozy, fruity, floral, and spicy
  • Cranberry recipes: salad dressing
    50 cranberry recipes using fresh cranberries
  • November seasonal fruit recipes
    Cooking with fruit in November

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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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