The end of winter brings the anticipation of the year’s first harvests, signaling a shift in available produce. Spring, generally defined as March through May in the Northern Hemisphere, is a transition season for fruit. It moves away from the dominance of winter citrus toward softer, more perishable berries and stone fruits. This seasonal change directly impacts the flavor and nutritional profile of the fruits. Fruits ripened naturally on the plant develop peak sweetness and aromatic compounds, offering the most vibrant tastes.
The Timing of Spring Harvests
The concept of a fruit being “in season” during spring depends heavily on local climate and geography. A fruit’s readiness for harvest is not uniform across all regions; a strawberry patch in a warm, coastal area like Southern California may yield fruit weeks earlier than one in New England. This variation illustrates that spring is not a single date but a climatic progression across the country.
It is important to distinguish between fruits that grow in spring and those that are harvested in spring. Many stone fruit trees set their blooms in spring, but the fruit itself will not ripen until later. A fruit is considered ready for harvest when it reaches maturation, but the final stage of ripening, involving flavor and texture changes, may occur after picking.
This timing is also governed by a fruit’s biological category: non-climacteric or climacteric. Non-climacteric fruits, such as strawberries and cherries, must be harvested when fully ripe because they do not continue to develop sugar and flavor once picked. Conversely, climacteric fruits, which include apricots, can be picked when mature but still firm, then ripened off the plant through the production of the plant hormone ethylene.
Fruits Ripening in Early Spring
Early spring, spanning the months of March and April, sees the tail end of the winter harvest alongside the emergence of the first new crops. Certain varieties of cold-hardy berries and late-season citrus dominate this initial period.
Strawberries are often the first true berry crop to become widely available, particularly from warmer growing regions. These non-climacteric fruits must ripen on the vine to achieve their full flavor profile. Early-season local varieties often taste noticeably sweeter than their winter counterparts because they contain significantly higher levels of volatile compounds responsible for flavor.
Rhubarb is another staple of the early spring harvest. Though botanically a vegetable, it is used almost exclusively as a fruit. The stalks are available as early as March, valued for their sharp, tart flavor that comes from high levels of malic and oxalic acids.
Many citrus varieties, which thrive in cooler weather, extend their availability into early spring before their season concludes. Late-harvest citrus like Cara Cara oranges and Ruby Red grapefruit remain sweet and juicy through April and into May. Kumquats are also harvested from late winter into the early weeks of spring, offering their distinctive sweet-and-sour flavor.
Fruits Ripening in Late Spring
As temperatures rise and spring transitions into May and early June, the harvest shifts towards fruits that require more sustained warmth. This period marks the beginning of the stone fruit season and the main arrival of many berry varieties.
Apricots are typically one of the first stone fruits, or drupes, to appear, often becoming available in warmer areas by late May. As a climacteric fruit, the apricot can be picked when firm and allowed to soften at room temperature, making it suitable for transport. The fruit’s characteristic orange color signals the conversion of starches into sugars and the development of beta-carotene, a vitamin A precursor.
Sweet cherries, such as the popular Bing and Rainier varieties, also begin to ripen toward the end of spring. Like strawberries, cherries are non-climacteric and must be left on the tree until they reach peak ripeness, making their arrival a highly anticipated event. Their season is often short, sometimes lasting only a few weeks in late May or early June.
The late spring also introduces the start of the summer berry season, with early varieties of blueberries and raspberries beginning their initial harvests. While the peak season for these berries is generally the height of summer, the first crops become available in warmer climates by late May. Nectarines, which are closely related to peaches but lack the fuzzy skin, also make their initial appearance in late spring, signaling the impending abundance of summer produce.