What's in Season in May in Australia

May is a vegetable month. The fruit thins out in the south and the paddock crops take over: pumpkin, carrots, cabbage, parsnips and Brussels sprouts are all at their peak in Victoria. It is the month to cook, not to snack.

Harvest months, when growers are picking.

The roasting tray

In Victoria, pumpkin, carrots, parsnips, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and potatoes are all in a peak month. New South Wales has pumpkin, carrots, cabbage and potatoes at theirs.

Cauliflower starts in Victoria and New South Wales, and so does the globe artichoke, which reaches its peak in Victoria in June. Beetroot, leeks and broccoli are all being picked.

Last of the autumn fruit

Apples finish in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. Pears, persimmons, pomegranates and figs all end in Victoria too.

Apples and pears will not disappear. Both keep well in cold storage and are sold for months after picking. Persimmons and figs do not, so when they finish they are gone.

Kiwifruit is the fruit that is properly in season: at its peak in Victoria.

Queensland starts the winter crops

The north is doing the opposite of the south. Queensland starts mandarins and grapefruit, and its winter tomato season begins. Bowen and Bundaberg supply the country's winter tomatoes, so this is the crop that fills the gap the southern growers left in April.

Avocados, bananas, pineapples and dragon fruit are at their peak, with green beans, zucchini and sweet potato. Queensland has 29 crops in season. South Australia has nine.

That gap is the real story of an Australian winter. From now until spring, a good share of what is fresh in a southern shop was grown a long way north.

The crisper drawer

Nearly everything in season this month is built to keep, which is half the appeal. Mature carrots and parsnips last three to four weeks in the fridge in a container or bag. A cabbage lasts two to three weeks. A whole pumpkin keeps for a month in a cool, dark place without refrigeration, and potatoes for a week or two in a paper bag, away from the onions.

The exceptions are cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Cauliflower has about a week in a container or bag, and Brussels sprouts about five days in a perforated bag in the crisper.

Globe artichokes need a little care: sprinkle them with water, seal them in an airtight bag and use them within a week. Kiwifruit ripens on the bench and then keeps one to two weeks in the fridge.

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

June is citrus

Mandarins and oranges start in New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia, and mandarins in Victoria. New South Wales begins its blueberries, and Queensland its winter strawberries.

Look up your own state: Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia or Tasmania. The season lookup covers any month, and April is the guide before this one.