Peak strawberries, sweet Vidalia onions, and the first cherries and apricots of the year.
May is peak strawberry month in California, which grows roughly 90% of US strawberries, and local crops begin in the South and mid-Atlantic. The first sweet cherries arrive from California orchards late in the month — a fruit whose potassium (around 230mg per 100g) and polyphenols have made it a favorite of sports-recovery research.
This is also the short, celebrated season of the Vidalia onion, Georgia’s famously mild sweet onion, in markets from late April through summer. Sweet onions are gentle enough to eat raw in salads and provide prebiotic fructans that feed beneficial gut bacteria. Round out the month with the last spring peas, radishes, and abundant leafy greens.
| Produce | Peak Season |
|---|---|
| Strawberries | Apr–Jun (peak) |
| Sweet onions (Vidalia) | Late Apr–Aug |
| Cherries | May–Jul |
| Apricots | May–Jul |
| Sugar snap peas | Apr–Jun |
| Radishes | Mar–May |
| Romaine lettuce | Mar–May |
| Baby spinach | Mar–Jun |
Ingredients
Nutrition note: Sweet, salty, and crunchy with vitamin C from two sources. Add grilled chicken or chickpeas to turn it into a complete meal.
Ingredients
Nutrition note: A no-added-sugar salsa for grilled fish or pork. Grilling caramelizes the onion’s natural sugars, and cherries add potassium and polyphenols.
Foods from USDA FoodData Central ranked by the nutrients worth focusing on in May, per 100g.
Foods highest in Vitamin C
View full rankingFoods highest in Potassium
View full rankingFoods highest in Vitamin K
View full rankingRelated Nutrition Articles
Seasonality varies by region; nutrition data from USDA FoodData Central.