USDA lists apples, pears, cranberries, pomegranates, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Swiss chard, spinach, carrots, beets, parsnips, rutabagas, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and winter squash among the fruits and vegetables in season in fall. Per serving, the dark leafy greens, spinach and Swiss chard, deliver the most, each reaching 20 percent or more of the Daily Value for five nutrients, followed by butternut squash and broccoli.
The question is timely. On September 24, 2026, The New York Times published a list of 10 fall fruits and vegetables that nutrition experts recommend, by Caroline Hopkins Legaspi and Colin Clark, making the case for less familiar produce such as Jerusalem artichokes, rutabaga, persimmons and okra alongside the usual apples and pumpkins. Its picks are in the table below with USDA nutrient values for each, next to the fall staples, so they can be compared on one page.
What USDA lists as fall produce
The USDA SNAP-Ed Seasonal Produce Guide lists fruits and vegetables by season. Its fall list, sorted into kitchen categories:
| Category | In season in fall, per USDA |
|---|---|
| Leafy greens | Kale, spinach, Swiss chard, collard greens, lettuce |
| Cabbage family | Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, radishes, turnips, rutabagas |
| Roots and tubers | Carrots, beets, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams, ginger |
| Squash | Pumpkin, winter squash |
| Other vegetables | Bell peppers, green beans, peas, okra, mushrooms, onions, garlic, celery, herbs |
| Fruit | Apples, pears, cranberries, grapes, pomegranates, raspberries, kiwifruit, lemons, limes, mangos, bananas, plantains |
Two of the Times picks, Jerusalem artichokes and persimmons, do not appear on the USDA list.
Nutrients per serving: the Times picks
Values below are from USDA FoodData Central for a common serving, shown as a percentage of the FDA Daily Value. Bold marks 20 percent or more, the threshold FDA uses for "high in" claims on a label.
| Food and serving | Calories | Fiber | Vitamin C | Vitamin K | Vitamin A | Folate | Potassium | Iron |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brussels sprouts, boiled (1/2 cup) | 28 | 2.0 g (7%) | 54% | 91% | 3% | 12% | 5% | 5% |
| Cranberries, raw (1 cup whole) | 46 | 3.6 g (13%) | 16% | 4% | 0% | 0% | 2% | 1% |
| Swiss chard, boiled (1 cup chopped) | 35 | 3.7 g (13%) | 35% | 477% | 60% | 4% | 20% | 22% |
| Jerusalem artichokes, raw (1 cup sliced) | 110 | 2.4 g (9%) | 7% | 0% | 0% | 5% | 14% | 28% |
| Pomegranate arils, raw (1/2 cup) | 72 | 3.5 g (12%) | 10% | 12% | 0% | 8% | 4% | 1% |
| Rutabaga, boiled (1 cup cubed) | 51 | 3.1 g (11%) | 36% | 0% | 0% | 6% | 8% | 2% |
| Persimmon, Japanese, raw (1 fruit) | 118 | 6.0 g (22%) | 14% | 4% | 15% | 3% | 6% | 1% |
| Butternut squash, baked (1 cup cubed) | 82 | 6.6 g (23%) | 34% | 2% | 127% | 10% | 12% | 7% |
| Pear, raw (1 medium) | 101 | 5.5 g (20%) | 9% | 7% | 0% | 3% | 4% | 2% |
| Okra, boiled (1/2 cup sliced) | 18 | 2.0 g (7%) | 14% | 27% | 1% | 9% | 2% | 1% |
Nutrients per serving: the fall staples
| Food and serving | Calories | Fiber | Vitamin C | Vitamin K | Vitamin A | Folate | Potassium | Iron |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spinach, boiled (1 cup) | 41 | 4.3 g (15%) | 20% | 740% | 105% | 66% | 18% | 36% |
| Kale, boiled (1 cup) | 42 | 4.7 g (17%) | 23% | 412% | 19% | 19% | 4% | 6% |
| Broccoli, boiled (1/2 cup chopped) | 27 | 2.6 g (9%) | 56% | 92% | 7% | 21% | 5% | 3% |
| Carrots, boiled (1/2 cup sliced) | 27 | 2.3 g (8%) | 3% | 9% | 74% | 3% | 4% | 1% |
| Sweet potato, baked in skin (1 medium) | 103 | 3.8 g (13%) | 25% | 2% | 122% | 2% | 12% | 4% |
| Pumpkin, boiled (1 cup mashed) | 49 | 2.7 g (10%) | 13% | 2% | 78% | 6% | 12% | 8% |
| Apple, with skin, raw (1 medium) | 95 | 4.4 g (16%) | 9% | 3% | 1% | 1% | 4% | 1% |
Which are the most nutritious?
One way to rank them is to count how many of the seven nutrients above each food reaches at 20 percent of the Daily Value or more in the serving shown.
| Nutrients at 20% DV or more | Foods |
|---|---|
| 5 | Swiss chard (vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin A, potassium, iron), Spinach (vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin A, folate, iron) |
| 3 | Butternut squash (fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A), Broccoli (vitamin C, vitamin K, folate) |
| 2 | Brussels sprouts (vitamin C, vitamin K), Kale (vitamin C, vitamin K), Sweet potato (vitamin C, vitamin A) |
| 1 | Jerusalem artichokes (iron), Rutabaga (vitamin C), Persimmon, Japanese (fiber), Pear (fiber), Okra (vitamin K), Carrots (vitamin A), Pumpkin (vitamin A) |
| 0 | Cranberries, Pomegranate arils, Apple, with skin |
A few things come out of the numbers.
- Leafy greens lead by a distance. A cup of cooked spinach reaches 105 percent of the Daily Value for vitamin A, 66 percent for folate and 36 percent for iron. A cup of cooked Swiss chard reaches 60 percent for vitamin A and more than four times the Daily Value for vitamin K.
- Among the Times picks, Swiss chard leads and butternut squash is next, with 127 percent of the Daily Value for vitamin A, 34 percent for vitamin C and 6.6 grams of fiber per cup of squash.
- Jerusalem artichokes are an iron source. A raw cup provides 5.1 mg, 28 percent of the Daily Value, second only to spinach in these tables.
- Pears and persimmons earn their place on fiber, at 5.5 and 6.0 grams per fruit.
- Cranberries, pomegranate and apples do not reach 20 percent for any of these seven in a normal serving. They contribute 12 to 16 percent of the Daily Value for fiber and add variety, which counts toward the number of different plants you eat in a week.
The ranking has limits. Serving sizes differ between foods, and a count of seven nutrients says nothing about plant compounds that have no Daily Value. Treat it as a guide to where each food is strongest, not as a league table.
A caution on vitamin K
Leafy greens are among the top food sources of vitamin K, and the amounts are large: a cup of cooked spinach is more than seven times the Daily Value. For most people that is simply a nutrient. For anyone taking the blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin), the National Institutes of Health advises keeping vitamin K intake about the same from day to day, because it interacts with the drug. A seasonal jump from no greens to a daily bowl of chard is exactly the kind of change to discuss with a doctor first.
How to eat them
Several of these are better cooked, and a few are only eaten cooked. The Times notes that cranberries are best cooked and that okra is too tough to eat raw. For others the method matters: boiling leafy greens and draining them loses the most vitamin C and folate, while steaming, stir-frying and soups that keep the cooking liquid lose less. The full USDA retention data is in do you have to eat vegetables raw to get the nutrients.
| Food | Good ways to eat it |
|---|---|
| Brussels sprouts | Roasted or steamed; shaved raw into a salad |
| Swiss chard, kale, spinach | Sautéed or stir-fried; in soups with the liquid; spinach and kale raw |
| Butternut squash, pumpkin, sweet potato | Roasted or baked; puréed into soup |
| Rutabaga, parsnips | Roasted or mashed |
| Jerusalem artichokes | Roasted, or sliced raw for crunch |
| Pears, apples, persimmons | Raw, with the skin on |
| Cranberries, pomegranate | Cooked into sauces or baked (cranberries); arils scattered over salads and grains (pomegranate) |
Out of season, frozen versions of most of these are a sound substitute. For how many vegetables a day to aim for, see how many servings of vegetables you need a day, and for the fiber side of the ledger, how much fiber you need a day.
Where SaladPower fits
All six SaladPower ingredients are on USDA's fall list: spinach, kale, carrots, broccoli, apples and lemons. The pouch blends them whole and nothing else, and because it is commercially processed, sealed and shelf-stable, it does not depend on what the market has that week.
One 8 oz pouch delivers 2x the USDA daily recommended vegetable intake, with 100 percent of the Daily Value for vitamin A, 30 percent for iron, 20 percent for vitamin C, 18 percent for fiber and 15 percent for potassium, in under 100 calories. It covers the everyday vegetables so that the fall produce you do buy can be the interesting kind: a roasted squash, a pan of chard, a persimmon.
Frequently asked questions
What vegetables are in season in fall?
USDA lists kale, spinach, Swiss chard, collard greens, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, beets, parsnips, rutabagas, turnips, sweet potatoes, potatoes, pumpkin, winter squash, green beans, bell peppers, okra and mushrooms among the vegetables in season in fall.
What is the healthiest fall vegetable?
By Daily Value per serving, cooked spinach and cooked Swiss chard lead, each reaching 20 percent or more of the Daily Value for five nutrients. Among the ten picks in The New York Times list, Swiss chard leads, followed by butternut squash, with 127 percent of the Daily Value for vitamin A and 6.6 grams of fiber per cup.
What fruits are in season in fall?
USDA lists apples, pears, cranberries, grapes, pomegranates, raspberries, kiwifruit, lemons and limes among the fruits in season in fall. Of these, pears stand out for fiber at 5.5 grams per medium fruit.
Are Jerusalem artichokes good for you?
They are a useful source of iron for a vegetable. One raw cup of sliced Jerusalem artichokes provides 5.1 mg of iron, 28 percent of the Daily Value, plus 14 percent of the Daily Value for potassium, according to USDA FoodData Central.
Is Swiss chard safe if I take warfarin?
Swiss chard is very high in vitamin K, which interacts with warfarin. The National Institutes of Health advises people taking warfarin to keep their vitamin K intake about the same every day. Talk to your doctor before making a large change in how many leafy greens you eat.
Sources
- Hopkins Legaspi C, Clark C. "10 Fall Fruits and Vegetables Nutrition Experts Love." The New York Times, September 24, 2026. Read the original article.
- US Department of Agriculture, SNAP-Ed Connection. "Seasonal Produce Guide." snaped.fna.usda.gov.
- US Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central, SR Legacy entries 169971, 171722, 170401, 169236, 169134, 168455, 169941, 169296, 169118, 169261, 168463, 169238, 169967, 170394, 168483, 168449, 171688. Serving weights from the same entries. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
- US Food and Drug Administration. "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels." fda.gov. Daily Values used: fiber 28 g, vitamin C 90 mg, vitamin K 120 mcg, vitamin A 900 mcg RAE, folate 400 mcg DFE, potassium 4,700 mg, iron 18 mg.
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. "Vitamin K: Fact Sheet for Consumers." ods.od.nih.gov.
- SaladPower Nutrition Facts panel, 8 oz pouch.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
