It is important to know what veggies are in season. These are often the cheapest ingredients for your Meal Plan. Save money on groceries by buying according to the seasons. If you cook with real food you know that all you need is the basics in your pantry and a vegetable or two to whip up all kinds of tasty things.

Glorious seasonal fruits and vegetables for February:

*I have noted how long things stay fresh so you can meal plan to maximize your budget and eliminate waste

Arugula keeps 2-3 days fridge
Asparagus keeps 3-4 days fridge; save scraps for stock
Beets keeps 2 weeks fridge; save greens for stock
Bok choy keeps 3-4 days fridge; regrow from root end
Broccoli keeps 3-5 days
Brussels Sprouts keeps 3-5 days
Cabbage keeps 1 wk fridge; regrow from root end
Cauliflower keeps 1 wk fridge
Carrots keeps 3-4 wks; save tops to regrow greens, save scraps for stock
Celery keeps 1-2 wks; save bottom to regrow
Cilantro keeps 7-10 days; blech or sub parsley
Clementines keeps 1 wk pantry, 1-2 wk fridge; save peels for diy cleaners
Dill keeps 10-14 days
Fennel keeps 7-10 days fridge, it tastes like licorice and anise and you need it; save scraps for stock, use root end to regrow
Grapefruit keeps 1 wk pantry, 2-3 wk fridge
Kale keeps 5-7 days
Lemons keeps 1 wk pantry, 2-3 wk fridge; save peel for diy furniture polish
Lettuce keeps 7-10 days; save scraps for stock
Leeks keeps 7-14 days fridge; save scraps for stock , regrow root end
Oranges keeps 1 wk pantry, 2-3 wks fridge; save peel for diy homemade cleaner or simmer pot
Onions keeps 5-7 days fridge; save scraps for stock but I don’t like skins in stock, regrow from root ends
Parsnips keeps 3-4 wks fridge; save scraps for stock
Pears keeps 1-4 days pantry, 5-7 days fridge
Rhubarb keeps 5-7 days fridge
Shallots keeps 1 mo room temp; save scraps for stock but not skins
Sweet Potatoes keeps 1 mo pantry, 1 mo fridge; regrow by planting piece with eye
Tangelos keeps 1 wk pantry, 1-2 wks fridge; save peels for diy cleaners
Tangerines keeps 1 wk pantry, 1-2 wks fridge; save peels for diy cleaners
Turnips keeps 2-3 wk fridge; save greens and scraps for stock

Print out a handy PDF with all this info

Download the seasonal fruits and vegetables guide image from The Vintage Mixer to your phone and have a handy reference with you

Download this cute printable from Oh She Glows to keep track of what is the perishable-est.

Not sure how long your veggies will stay good? Try StillTasty.

Epicurious Seasonal produce maps by state
CUESA Seasonal vegetables by month

Use my custom Google search to scan over 150 sites for seasonal, real food recipes for your meal plan.

If you want more tips on how to stretch your produce and food budget check out my More With Less 7 Day Meal Plans.

As always, I sort my recipes by how perishable the ingredients are. I have found I can’t stick to a rigid day-by-day meal plan. I like to stay flexible, and don’t like to waste food.

We do a monthly meal plan since our income is monthly, and do weekly or bi-weekly shopping runs for produce and dairy. For my meal plan I organize my recipes in a 3-tier order, from the most perishable ingredients to the least perishable. So when I do a big shopping trip I get most of the produce we need (not that we’ve ever run out of money for veggies by the end of the month or anything). The first tier is really perishable stuff, like spinach and mushrooms. The second tier will hold a little while, like broccoli. The third tier just uses veggies like carrots and potatoes that will keep a month. Learn more about my Frugal, Flexible Monthly Menu Planning.

February/Winter Meal Plan Pinterest Boards:

Meal Plan February (just look at all that tastiness!)

Recipes to Try Winter

Share with me: What do you do to reduce food waste?

*Also see our

Free Retro Mid-Century Weekly Meal Plan Printable Template

We hope you enjoyed our Seasonal Produce for February/Winter

Photo credits: Seed store catalog cover from Swallowtail Garden Seeds