What's in Season in November?

The Thanksgiving table — cranberries, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts — and how to keep it nutritious.

November cooking in America revolves around one meal, and the classic Thanksgiving lineup is genuinely seasonal: cranberries fresh from the fall harvest, new-crop sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, winter squash, and potatoes. Fresh cranberries are far lower in sugar than the canned sauce — simmer your own and you control every gram.

The nutritional pitfall of the month is sodium: a typical holiday plate of stuffing, gravy, cured meats, and canned sides can approach a full day’s limit in one sitting. The fix is on the produce side — potassium-rich sweet potatoes, squash, and greens blunt sodium’s effect on blood pressure, and roasted vegetable sides add fiber that makes the whole meal more satisfying with less second-helping pressure.

November Seasonal Produce at a Glance

Produce	Peak Season	Nutrition & Buying Notes
Cranberries	Oct–Dec	Buy fresh bags now and freeze; homemade sauce needs a fraction of the sugar of canned
Sweet potatoes	Oct–Feb	About 486mg potassium per 100g; skip the marshmallows, roast with skins on
Brussels sprouts	Sep–Feb (peak)	Peak flavor after hard frosts; about 4.8g fiber and 4g protein per 100g
Butternut squash	Sep–Dec	Beta-carotene and potassium for soups, mash, and casseroles
Russet potatoes	Year-round (storage)	Keep skins in the mash for potassium and fiber
Collard greens	Nov–Apr	Southern holiday tradition; calcium-rich — try braising with smoked turkey instead of ham hock
Celery	Year-round (fall CA peak)	The backbone of stuffing and mirepoix; adds potassium for almost no calories
Pomegranates	Oct–Jan	California arils brighten salads; polyphenol-rich seasonal garnish
White button mushrooms	Year-round	Deepen gravy and stuffing with umami — a trick for cutting salt without losing flavor

Nutrients to Focus on in November

Potassium — The counterweight to holiday sodium — pile on squash, potatoes, and greens
Sodium — Stuffing, gravy, and processed sides add up fast; know where it hides
Vitamin A — Sweet potatoes and squash cover immune-supporting beta-carotene as winter starts
Dietary Fiber — Vegetable sides with skins on keep the feast filling and digestion moving

Simple Recipe Ideas for November

Maple-roasted Brussels sprouts with cranberries

Ingredients

・1.5 lb Brussels sprouts, halved
・1 cup fresh cranberries
・2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp maple syrup
・Toasted pecans
・Salt and pepper

Nutrition note: Cranberries burst and glaze the sprouts, so a single tablespoon of maple syrup covers the whole pan — far less sugar than typical holiday sides.

Herb-roasted sweet potato wedges

Ingredients

・3 sweet potatoes, cut in wedges, skin on
・Olive oil
・Rosemary, thyme, garlic powder
・Flaky salt (a light hand)

Nutrition note: A potassium- and fiber-forward alternative to marshmallow-topped casserole that still reads as a holiday dish.

Top Foods for November's Key Nutrients (Live Data)

Foods from USDA FoodData Central ranked by the nutrients worth focusing on in November, per 100g.

Foods highest in Potassium

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Foods highest in Sodium

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Foods highest in Vitamin A

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Foods highest in Dietary Fiber

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