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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1. Leavening agents, cream of tartar16500mg
2. Leavening agents, baking powder, low-sodium10100mg
3. Parsley, freeze-dried6300mg
4. Beverages, tea, instant, decaffeinated, unsweetened6040mg
5. Beverages, tea, instant, unsweetened, powder6040mg
6. Spices, chervil, dried4740mg

Foods highest in Sodium

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1. Salt, table38758mg
2. Salt, table, iodized38700mg
3. Salt, table, iodized38700mg
4. Leavening agents, baking soda27360mg
5. Desserts, rennin, tablets, unsweetened26050mg
6. Soup, beef broth or bouillon, powder, dry26000mg

Foods highest in Vitamin A

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Foods highest in Dietary Fiber

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1. Corn bran, crude79g
2. Gums, seed gums (includes locust bean, guar)77.3g
3. Fungi, Cloud ears, dried70.1g
4. Spices, curry powder53.2g
5. Spices, cinnamon, ground53.1g
6. Spices, savory, ground45.7g