What fruit is in season in January in Australia?

Peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots are at their peak in Victoria, table grapes start in four states, and watermelon is at its peak in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia. Mangoes and passionfruit are at their peak in Queensland, and Tasmania picks its cherries.

Is January the best month for stone fruit?

For peaches and nectarines in Victoria and New South Wales, yes: January and February are their peak months. Apricots are at their peak in Victoria too, but finish in Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia this month. Cherries are ending on the mainland.

When do Tasmanian cherries start?

January. Tasmania is the last state to pick, starting after Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia are at or past their best, and it runs into February. That is why cherries are still around after Christmas.

Are tomatoes in season in January?

Yes, and at their best. Field tomatoes in Victoria and New South Wales reach their peak in January and hold it through March. South Australia and Western Australia are picking too.

What's in Season in January in Australia

January is the month the south catches up with the calendar. Peaches, nectarines, plums, tomatoes and sweet corn all reach their peak in Victoria at once, and Victoria has 29 crops being picked. If you only buy fruit at a market one month of the year, make it this one.

These are harvest months, when growers are picking, not shop availability.

Clay illustration of a farm-fresh produce stall with crates of fruit and vegetables

Stone fruit at its best

Peaches and nectarines started back in November and have been improving since. January and February are their peak months in Victoria and New South Wales. Victoria grows most of the country's peaches and about four in five of its nectarines, so this is the bulk of the national crop arriving.

Plums start in Victoria and go straight to their peak. Apricots are at their peak in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia, and this is their last month in Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia. Apricots have the shortest season of the four, so do not wait.

Cherries are changing hands. New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia all finish in January. Victoria is still at its peak, and Tasmania starts. A late-January cherry is very likely a Tasmanian one.

Grapes and melons begin

Table grapes start in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia this month. Victoria's Sunraysia district grows most of them, and the season runs through to April.

Watermelon starts in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia and is at its peak in all three, as it is in Queensland. New South Wales also starts rockmelon and honeydew, which fills the gap Queensland left when its season ended in December.

The tomato month

Field tomatoes reach their peak in Victoria and New South Wales. This is the tomato people mean when they say tomatoes used to taste of something: grown outdoors, picked ripe and sold within days. It does not survive a long truck ride, which is the whole case for buying it from a grower.

Sweet corn is at its peak in every state that grows it. Eggplant is at its peak in Victoria and New South Wales. Zucchini, capsicum, cucumber and green beans are all being picked in Victoria.

The north in the wet

Queensland's mangoes are in their second peak month and passionfruit is at its peak. Lychees are still being picked. Dragon fruit and limes start.

Further south and west, figs begin in South Australia and Western Australia. Figs do not travel or keep, so they are reliably better at a market than anywhere else.

Berries

Strawberries are at their peak in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. Blueberries reach their peak in Victoria and Tasmania, and New South Wales is in its last peak month. Blackberries finish in Victoria and carry on in Tasmania.

Finishing in January

Garlic ends in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. Broccoli finishes in Victoria. Avocados finish in Western Australia, which leaves a gap until Queensland starts picking in March.

Getting stone fruit home

Summer fruit is sold ripe or nearly ripe, and most of it wants the bench before it wants the fridge. Peaches and apricots ripen uncovered on the bench, then keep for up to a week in the fridge. Nectarines and plums do better in a paper bag until ripe. Plums are the short ones, at three to five days once ripe. Cherries skip the bench entirely: straight into the fridge, covered, and eaten within five days.

Tomatoes are the one to get right. They keep for about a week uncovered in a cool, dark place, and the fridge is only for ones that are already fully ripe, because cold affects the flavour. Sweet corn goes in the fridge with its husks on. Once the husks are off it has a day or two, wrapped in a damp towel.

Grapes keep for up to a week in the fridge in a container or bag.

Storage times here are from the City of Darebin's food storage chart, a Victorian council guide.

Coming in February

Apples, pears and nashi pears start in Victoria, and apples start in every mainland state. It feels early, but the first apples of the year are a late-summer crop.

For your own state, see Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia or Tasmania, or use the season lookup for any month. The month before is in what's in season in December, and farmers markets are where the growers are.