Eating in Season in California
Eating seasonally in California means letting the calendar — not the grocery store — drive what's on your plate. As part of the California, California's growing year follows a specific rhythm: Year-round growing in coastal and southern regions, with multiple harvest windows per year. By volume, California accounts for roughly two-thirds of U.S. fruit and nut production.
California's signature local foods — avocados, artichokes, Meyer lemons, Dungeness crab, heirloom tomatoes, and stone fruit — define the peak-season high points at farmers markets and farm stands across the state. Growing conditions: year-round in coastal and southern regions, with multiple harvest windows per year for many crops. Last spring frost typically lands no frost along the coast; February to early May inland; first fall frost arrives no frost along the coast; October to December inland.
What September Tastes Like
Fall brings apples, pumpkins, winter squash, cider, the last of the tomatoes, and the beginning of the greens-and-roots rhythm that carries through winter. Markets peak in volume; orchards and cider mills run full tilt.
Why it matters
Eating seasonally isn't just an aesthetic. Food grown in peak season tastes better (a July tomato at a farmers market is not the same food as a February grocery-store tomato), travels shorter distances, and supports the local growers in your region. The calendar below is a practical tool — bookmark it and check back as seasons shift.