April does what it wants. It seems like many vegetables growing on Dutch soil know this, because in this month there are the fewest varieties of vegetables available. Yet I also have some good news for you: in April, there are no less than five new vegetables on the list of seasonal vegetables. From now on, endive, pak choi, turnip greens, red-leaved lettuce and watercress can also grow again in the open field or in unheated greenhouses in the Netherlands. And another piece of good news: with a bit of luck, you will find the first strawberries at the end of the month. That will be a treat! Want to know which other seasonal fruit and vegetables April has to offer? We list them for you!
Fewest seasonal vegetables available in April
Thanks to Crisp for the seasonal produce
April is a bit of an in-between month. It is no longer winter, but it can still be cold. You also notice this in the amount of seasonal vegetables and seasonal fruits available. This month's list of seasonal vegetables April is the shortest of the whole year. Fortunately, it does include some new varieties, so you still have some variety. And I can tell you now that from next month, until autumn, the list will get a bit longer every month. So hang in there. And in the meantime, enjoy all the goodies April still has to offer.
Saskia with April's seasonal vegetables.
The benefits of seasonal vegetables and seasonal fruit, including in April
Supermarkets are full of fruit and vegetables. Why bother to pay attention to which fruit or vegetables are currently in season in the Netherlands? For one thing, it is better for the environment. Fruit or vegetables that have a longer transport route or are grown in heated greenhouses generally have a greater environmental impact. But did you also know that seasonal vegetables and seasonal fruit are better for your health? Because the transport route is shorter, the vegetables or fruits are riper before they are harvested. As a result, fewer nutrients are lost. Seasonal vegetables and fruits also contain more nutrients because they are stored for less time. Moreover, fewer pesticides are often used as they are less susceptible to diseases. Finally, it is usually a lot cheaper to buy fruit and vegetables from the season.
Fruit or vegetables from the Netherlands are not always the most sustainable choice
Now that you are convinced of the benefits of seasonal vegetables and seasonal fruit, you can pay attention to them when you go shopping. Because the country of origin is indicated on the packaging, you may choose to buy fruit or vegetables from the Netherlands. Unfortunately, this is not always the most sustainable choice. After all, you can't tell in the supermarket whether the fruit or vegetable was grown in a heated greenhouse. For example, a head of lettuce from the Netherlands may be the most sustainable choice in July; while in January the head of lettuce from Spain is more sustainable because it grows in the open air. Pretty confusing isn't it? To make it easier for you, we have picked out for you which vegetables and fruits grow in full Dutch soil or in unheated greenhouses in the Netherlands. For October, these are the following fruit and vegetables:
Dutch seasonal vegetables April:
The fruit and vegetables in bold can currently be harvested in the Netherlands. The remaining fruit and vegetables, although from the Netherlands, are from earlier months. Vegetables are often stored for months after harvest and thus sold (which is fine).
- potato
- endive
- cauliflower (inspiration recipe: whole roasted cauliflower from the oven)
- green celery
- mushrooms (inspiration recipe: 5 x recipe with oyster mushrooms)
- pak choi
- pumpkin (inspiration recipe: pumpkin curry quiche)
- leeks (inspiration recipe: creamy celeriac and leek soup)
- turnip
- turnip greens
- radish
- red beet
- red leave
- spinach (inspiration recipe: spicy spinach Indian style)
- onion
- warmoes
- watercress
- chicory
- root
Dutch seasonal fruit April:
- strawberry
- apple
- rhubarb
Want to know which fruit from abroad is good to eat year-round as a sustainable choice? You can find the list in January's article on seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Why storage vegetables and fruits are also on the list
The fruits and vegetables listed above are the varieties normally available this month from full Dutch soil or unheated Dutch greenhouses. This will only not saying that these fruits and vegetables are also this month harvested are. Some varieties such as apple, pear, carrot, potato, pumpkin and onion, for example, can be stored by producers for longer periods of time. This makes these types of fruits and vegetables available even during the winter months, increasing the choice of fruits and vegetables produced locally. Thegreenlist.nl chose to include these storage vegetables and fruits in the list of seasonal vegetables and fruits as well, because they are a sustainable choice of the Dutch country. If we were to omit these varieties, there would be no fruit on the list at all in the winter months, for example. So these storage vegetables and fruits are not quite of the season, but they do offer an eco-friendly way to eat varied and healthy food during the colder months.
Want to know more about how Dutch producers store fruit and vegetables? You can read all about it in this article.
Turnip on the left and turnip greens on the right. Do you already know these vegetables?
Turnip or turnip greens
The list of seasonal vegetables April includes turnip and turnip greens. I didn't know exactly what the difference was between these two, so I've figured it out for you.
Turnip is a forgotten vegetable and resembles potato in taste and preparation. The turnip is a tuber that can have many different shapes (round, elongated, flattened) and colours (yellow, grey, purple, orange, black).
Turnip greens are young plants of various types of cabbage (such as turnip, kohlrabi and Chinese cabbage) that you can eat as a young green. A true spring vegetable, then. Turnip greens taste similar to rocket or young spinach. Turnip greens are also called leaf purée, cut purée or turnip greens.
Sources: Velt.nu and VegetableGroente.nl
Seasonal vegetables and seasonal fruit in April: sustainable, healthy and cheap
We hope you can now make conscious and healthy choices more easily. And with a bit of luck, you'll also notice it in your wallet. Another little tip: bookmark this page. That way you'll always have it to hand when you're in the shop and you can quickly find October's seasonal vegetables or seasonal fruit.
More sustainable tips from thegreenlist.nl
- Seasonal vegetables are often cheaper, but there are other ways you can save on your groceries. Read quickly: budget shopping tips that are sustainable too!
- Leftover cooking is the way to avoid food waste. See which ingredients are essential in your pantry here.
- Or already curious about May's seasonal vegetables? You can find them here.
Sources: Outdoor Living Feeling about the benefits of seasonal eating, Albert Heijn on the benefits of seasonal fruit and vegetables, VegetableGroente.nl on seasonal vegetables by country, Velt's seasonal calendar for the list of seasonal vegetables and seasonal fruit. Photo credits: thegreenlist.nl.
