What’s in Season Right Now?

Eating with the seasons is the whole secret to local food that tastes better and costs less. Here is what to look for at farms and markets through the year. Timing shifts a few weeks earlier in the South and later in the far North.

Spring (March to May)

Asparagus, spinach, lettuces, radishes, peas, spring onions, rhubarb, strawberries in the South, morels, fresh eggs at their best, and the first goat cheese of the year.

Early Summer (June to July)

Strawberries, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, zucchini, cucumbers, green beans, new potatoes, garlic scapes, sweet corn arriving by July, peaches in warm regions.

Late Summer (August to September)

Tomatoes at their absolute peak, sweet corn, peppers, eggplant, melons, peaches, plums, early apples, okra in the South. The single best stretch of the year at any farm stand.

Fall (September to November)

Apples, pears, pumpkins, winter squash, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, cranberries, late greens sweetened by frost, fresh cider, and pick your own everything.

Winter (December to February)

Storage crops shine: potatoes, onions, carrots, beets, cabbage, winter squash. Greenhouse greens, meat, eggs, cheese, honey, maple products, and winter farmers markets keep local eating going.