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Are Nectarines in Season in September?
Nectarines are in season in Australia in summer, with availability from late spring to early autumn. The best time to buy Australian grown nectarines is usually January and February. If you purchase nectarines between May and September [wa.gov.au] you are likely to be buying imported nectarines.
When is Nectarine Season in Australia?
Nectarine season in Australia is from October to May, with the peak supply usually in January and February, slightly after the peak peach season. Like peaches, nectarines are part of the stonefruit family which in Australia are commonly marketed as summerfruits. This marketing name is the big clue to when nectarines are in season.
Nectarines can be separated into white flesh or yellow flesh varieties, as well as freestone or clingstone. Most nectarines we eat are freestone varieties where the fruit can easily be separated from the stone. Clingstone nectarines are typically early season varieties and are more likely to be used for canning. Most eating nectarine varieties are ready to be picked and eaten when they show their sugar spots, which look like white speckles on the top half of the fruit.
Orchards usually need to wait up to 3 years before nectarine trees bear fruit, and the peak growing seasons for a nectarine tree will be between years 4 and 8. Most commercial nectarine trees are likely to be replaced around 12 years old as the productivity drops off [HMC Farms].
White Nectarine Season
White nectarines are in season from December to April. The start of the white nectarine season is usually a few weeks after yellow flesh nectarines, but they may be available a few weeks longer at the end of the season. White flesh nectarines are harvested when they are more firm. Varietal names usually include Arctic or Pearl to describe the white flesh but most supermarkets will just market them as white nectarines.
Yellow Nectarine Season
Yellow nectarines are in season from late November to early April. The yellow nectarine season is the same length as the the white nectarine season but may finish a little earlier in autumn. Some varieties of yellow flesh nectarine will be marketed as red due to the bright coloured skin.
Where do Nectarines Come From in Australia?
Nectarines are native to China. They have been grown in Australia since the late 1800s and one of the first widely successful varieties was the Goldmine nectarine which was first discovered growing in Auckland.
More than three quarters of all nectarines and peaches are grown in Victoria, around the Goulburn Valley and Sunraysia. Early season nectarines are picked from smaller growing regions [USDA] in sub-tropical Queensland and northern areas of Western Australia and NSW, before the peak season arrives in Victoria between January and February.
For Australian growers nectarines are preferred to peaches for export as the firmer flesh is able to stay fresh longer and can be exported by sea to reduce costs.
