A year-round seasonal produce calendar for Queensland households

Shopping in season is one of the simplest food habits there is. Produce that's plentiful is often fresher and better value, and planning around the seasons gives your weekly meals a natural rhythm. The tricky part is remembering what's actually in season when.

This calendar puts the year on one page for Queensland households. It's based on the Seasonal Food Guide Australia chart for Brisbane and Queensland, which shows what's typically available in each season. Weather, region and variety all shift timings, and what's in Brisbane shops can include produce grown interstate or overseas, so use it as a guide and check the origin label or ask your grower.

How the seasons line up

In Australia the seasons run:

  • Spring: September, October, November
  • Summer: December, January, February
  • Autumn: March, April, May
  • Winter: June, July, August

Queensland is big. Far North Queensland, the Granite Belt and the south-east coast all have different growing conditions, so a crop can start weeks earlier in the north than in the south.

Fruit with a season: the calendar

These are the fruits the Seasonal Food Guide QLD chart marks as available for only part of the year. A tick means the fruit is typically in season.

Fruit Spring (Sep–Nov) Summer (Dec–Feb) Autumn (Mar–May) Winter (Jun–Aug)
Apricots ✓
Blackberries ✓
Blueberries ✓ ✓ ✓
Breadfruit ✓ ✓
Cherries ✓ ✓
Cumquats ✓
Custard Apples ✓ ✓ ✓
Figs ✓ ✓
Gooseberries ✓ ✓
Grapes (Red) ✓
Grapes (Green) ✓ ✓
Loganberries ✓
Lychees ✓
Mandarins ✓ ✓ ✓
Mangoes ✓ ✓
Mangosteen ✓ ✓
Nectarines ✓ ✓ ✓
Olives ✓ ✓
Peaches ✓ ✓
Persimmons ✓ ✓
Plums ✓ ✓
Quince ✓
Rambutan ✓ ✓
Raspberries ✓ ✓ ✓
Rosella ✓ ✓
Tamarillo ✓ ✓
Tangelo ✓

A few entries may surprise you — cherries in winter, for example. The chart reflects availability in Brisbane and Queensland, which can include fruit grown interstate or imported, so check the country of origin label if buying local matters to you.

Fruit available most of the year

The same chart lists these fruits as available in all four seasons: apples, avocados, bananas, carambola (starfruit), coconuts, dates, dragonfruit, grapefruit, guava, honeydew melons, kiwifruit, lemons, limes, oranges, passionfruit, pawpaw, pears, pineapples, pomegranate, rockmelons, strawberries and watermelon.

"Available" isn't the same as "at its best". Many of these have a local peak. Queensland Strawberries, the growers' body, says the state's main winter season runs from May to October, while the Granite Belt grows a summer crop.

Vegetables through the year

Most everyday vegetables are on the Seasonal Food Guide's Brisbane chart in all four seasons, from carrots and broccoli to pumpkin, sweet potato and leafy greens. The ones it marks as seasonal are:

  • Green beans, flat beans and broad beans: summer.
  • Artichokes: spring, autumn and winter.
  • Brussels sprouts: autumn and winter.

Brisbane City Council's shorter list is a helpful reminder of what's at its peak each season:

  • Spring: asparagus, broccoli, carrots, corn, peas, radish, zucchini.
  • Summer: asparagus, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, zucchini.
  • Autumn: carrots, eggplant, pumpkin, zucchini.
  • Winter: broccoli, cabbage, carrots, peas, pumpkin, radish.

What to freeze, preserve and stock each season

The real value of a seasonal calendar is planning ahead, so you make the most of a glut and waste less. According to DCCEEW, Australian households waste about 2.5 million tonnes of food a year — around 30% of all the food wasted in Australia. A few seasonal habits can help.

Spring (September to November)

  • Freeze strawberries and early mangoes on a tray, then bag them.
  • Blanch and freeze asparagus and peas if you buy a big bunch.
  • Stock up on breakfast staples — oats, muesli, nut butters — for fruit-topped breakfasts.

Summer (December to February)

  • Freeze mango cheeks, peeled lychees and berries for drinks and icy poles.
  • Make jam from plums, apricots or rosellas.
  • Quick-pickle cucumbers and beans in the fridge.
  • Keep cool storage in mind: a reusable cooler bag and glass containers make hot-weather shopping easier.

Autumn (March to May)

  • Stew apples, pears and quinces and freeze in portions.
  • Roast and freeze pumpkin for soups later.
  • Make the most of figs and persimmons while they last.

Winter (June to August)

  • Use citrus: zest and freeze it, or make marmalade from mandarins and tangelos.
  • Batch-cook soups from carrots, broccoli, cabbage and pumpkin.
  • Freeze custard apple pulp for smoothies.

Using the calendar with a busy family

A calendar is only useful if it changes what goes in the trolley. A few ways to make it work on a weeknight:

  • Build the shopping list from the season, not the recipe. Check what's in season first, then pick meals that use it, rather than hunting for an out-of-season ingredient a recipe asks for.
  • Let the kids choose one seasonal fruit each week. It's an easy way to try something new, like a custard apple in autumn or a dragonfruit in spring.
  • Keep a "glut" list. When something is plentiful and well priced, note one way to use or keep it — jam, a tray bake, a freezer bag — so a bargain doesn't become waste.
  • Swap like for like. If a recipe calls for peaches in winter, try pears or persimmons instead.

Checking other states

If you're outside Queensland or buying from interstate growers, the Seasonal Food Guide has separate charts for other capital cities. Southern states have a very different calendar, especially for stone fruit, apples and citrus.

Organic and in season

Organic supply of a given crop is often smaller than conventional supply, and more affected by weather. If certified organic matters to you, shopping in season gives you the best chance of finding it, and it's always worth asking a grower who certifies them. Many small growers farm carefully without certification, too. Our guide to natural vs organic vs low-tox explains how to tell the difference.

Make it a habit

  • Pin the table to your fridge or save it to your phone.
  • Plan two or three meals a week around whatever's in season.
  • Check the freezer monthly so preserved fruit and veg get used.

For what's around right now, see our Queensland spring and summer guide. We don't sell fresh produce, but you'll find pantry staples to go with it in our Food & pantry collection, and reusable storage in Home & living.

Sources

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