Who doesn’t like a great piece of juicy ripe fruit; you know when you bite into that perfectly ripe pear and the juice starts running down your chin? Or, that Clementine that is oh so sweet that you grab another and another. There is a bounty of colorful winter fruits for snacking on or to perk up your smoothies, salads, and recipes. What Fruit is in Season in January? I bet you can guess.
January is the month for all things Citrus
- Grapefruit – red, pink and white and Pomelos – this super nutritious fruit has the most water of any fruit. Pick the heaviest of these fruits for the best tasting since more sugar to get a sweeter fruit.
- Lemons – did you know lemons originated from limes? There are 25 varieties of lemons but the Eureka, Lisbon and the sweeter Meyer lemons with their floral flavor are the most popular and are all highly nutritious. Look for thin-skinned lemons for a juicier fruit. Even though you can buy lemons all year long they are at their best in the winter months.
- Limes – limes have the most acid of any fruit and is valued for its flavoring from the juice and the zest. Try adding lime juice to drinks and the juice and zest to Asian, Mexican and Indian dishes.
- Oranges – Cara Cara, Blood Oranges, Navel Oranges – all prized for Vitamin C and minerals. Eat all types of oranges during their peak season from December to April for the sweetest and juiciest fruits. Oranges have so many uses.
- Oranges make the best snack ever. Just peel and eat!
- Make orange juice to brighten your morning.
- Zest the peel and add to all kinds of baked goods and recipes.
- Make candied orange peel for a sweet dessert.
- Homemade orange marmalade is easy to make.
- Mandarins – Sumo, Satsuma, Clementines, Tangelos, Tangerines – Think Snack!!!! These easy to peel citruses are perfect as a take-along snack, tuck a couple in your lunch box. These super-sweet Mandarins are kid-friendly too!
The Colors of Citrus
Pears are in season during January
- Red D’Anjou Pears – these sweet dark red pears are delicious eaten either firm or soft, try them in salads or on a cheeseboard.
- Bosc Pears – have that beautiful long neck and bronzy cinnamon color with a crisp texture. These pears are great poached and baked and offer a spicey honey flavor.
- D’Anjou Pears – a true winter pear with the familiar green skin that does not change color as it ripens. This is one of the best snacking pears for its wonderful citrus flavor and juiciness.
Winter Pears
Late Season Apples in January
- Braeburn Apples – This is an all-around great apple for eating, baking or making applesauce. Look for the red, yellow and orange splotched skins in this medium-sized slightly sweet and slightly tart fragrant apple.
- Cortland Apples – This bright red apple from New York are a variety of Macintosh apples that are a great baking apple and also delicious for salads and cheese boards. Cortlands have dense flesh and do not turn brown when cut, however, they should be eaten or used soon after picking as they do not keep well.
- Fuji Apples – This is one of the largest apple varieties originating in Japan and brought to the stores in 1962. This sweet and very crispy apple has a dense flesh that stores for a long time and is one of the most popular varieties of apples worldwide.
- Honeycrisp Apples – this fairly new apple variety was developed in Minnesota and hit the store in 1991 and has gained popularity. Honeycrisps have a firm texture and are both sweet and tart which makes it a perfect eating apple. This apple retains its beautiful golden/red color and stores well.
- Pink Lady Apples – the first apple called by it’s branded name and its variety name is Cripps Pink. This Australian apple was developed in the 1970s. In order to obtain the classic Pink Lady Apple coloring, these apples need to grow in a warm climate with a long growing season.
- Rome Beauty Apples – these large round apples have a tough red skin that makes great baking apples since they hold their shape well. Bite into this crisp apple that has a whitish-green flesh and a juicy and slightly tart flavor for some wonderful flavor. Rome Beauty apples are also known as Rome Reds
- York Apples – This long-time favorite lopsided apple from Pennsylvania is crispy and sweet. York apples make great tasting pies or applesauce.
Why Eat Fruit That is in Season?
- Eating fruit that is in season offers you the best selection of fresh and naturally ripened produce that is at its peak for eating.
- Most fruit is available all year long but eating seasonally guarantees you get the best the fruit has to offer in flavor, texture, and nutrition.
- Buying fruit that is in season is less expensive because there is more of it.
- Buying locally grown fruit allows you to buy or pick fruit at its peak of ripeness. Plus buying local supports farmers in your area.
Winter Fruit Bowl
Grapefruit, Pears, Apples, Lemons, Limes, and Oranges
I love displaying my fruits on the counter. Here’s a great 2-tiered metal bowl set that will show off your beautiful fruit.
Living in California offers us an amazing variety of fruit. The lemons and grapefruit are from my backyard trees. It is so nice to just walk out my door and pick fruit. The apples and pears came from local orchards in Apple Hill in Camino, California.
There are so many amazing fruits is grown worldwide with different growing seasons. Make sure to check what is seasonally available where you live and visit your local orchard or farmer’s markets
Want to know what fruit is in season in your state? Check out this site.
Here are some One Hot Oven recipes using January’s seasonal fruits
Pears, Asiago, Pistachios, and Cranberries in Puff Pastry
Need some helpful fruit kitchen gadgets?
Here are suggestions for some great utensils for citrus.
This is just so yummy & refreshing. Grapefruit is in season in my local area now. Just love it! I am curious though, is peach (my favorite) considered a citrus in your opinion.
I love grapefruits too. Actually I need to go pick our grapefruit, they are perfectly ripe. Peaches are considered a stone fruit and are ripe in the summer months.
Wow, reading this I thought to myself “she must live in CA, Fl or southern Europe.
Here in Switzerland only apples, pears and kiwi fruit are in season. Everything else is imported from Spain and northern Africa or Mexico.
Your citrus picture looks fantastic, it literally screams vitamin C!
Yes, I live in Northern California and I am blessed to have all these fruits growing nearby. I actually have limes, lemons and grapefruit in my backyard.
They look and sound soooo good!
I didn’t know that. Although Oranges at Christmas have always been a thing in our family. I used to love them now they hurt my stomach, but apples I eat on a daily basis. It’s funny I’m not much of a fruit-lover. I love all vegetables though and eat a lot of them raw.
I think a lot of people like one or the other fruit or veggies. This is crazy to say but I eat way too much fruit and skimp on the veggies.
Yum!! Thanks for sharing recipes as well!
Thank you so much for compiling this list. I’ve really been trying hard to only eat what’s in season to help stay on budget. This is perfect!
Such good information! We try to eat seasonal here, so I am saving this to take with me to the grocery store!
So many good ones! This guide is super helpful – I’ll be trying so many of these!
This is perfect. With young children in the house, it’s always nice to know what fruits are in season. Thank you so much for posting this!
We are trying to eat more seasonally this year, so this will really help thanks.
Awesome list of fresh fruits! I’ve been into grilling grapefruit slices. SO GOOD 🙂
On my I never thought of grilling grapefruit. Would love to know your technique.
A lovely and helpful post. I do love eating with the seasons.
I actually look forward to the different seasons of fruits and veggies.
admittedly I’m so bad at knowing what’s in season, so this post is actually incredibly useful! Thanks so much for sharing!
We are trying to eat seasonally as much as possible and there are some of my favourites this month.
I’m just finishing a bag of Cara Cara oranges. So sweet inside.