California Farmers Market Seasons: What Ripens When

California farmers market seasons do not follow the calendar the way they do in colder states, because something is always ripening somewhere. What changes is the kind: oranges and mandarins in the cool months, strawberries as the days lengthen, peaches and plums in summer. Stone fruit builds from late spring.

How do California farmers market seasons work?

The state is long and varied. The coast stays mild, the Central Valley gets hot, and the mountains have a short growing season. A crop that peaks in the south in spring may peak in the north weeks later. Growers also stagger plantings so that a market has a steady supply.

Because of that, the best calendar is the stall in front of you. Look at what is stacked high and cheap, because that is what is at its peak. Ask the grower what came off the tree this week.

When is the California citrus season?

The California citrus season runs from late fall into spring, and calendars differ on the end of the season, with one state agriculture blog listing mandarins, lemons and grapefruit from November to March. Mandarins and tangelos come first, and one source puts the tangelo peak between November and February. Navel oranges follow, then grapefruit and lemons, and many growers sell fruit with the leaves still attached.

Taste before you buy. A good mandarin should feel heavy for its size and smell sweet at the stem end. Small fruit is often sweeter than large fruit, and a bag often costs less than a single piece at a supermarket. Citrus keeps well, so buy a few extra and juice what you cannot finish within a week.

When is stone fruit season?

Stone fruit season begins in late spring with apricots and cherries and builds through summer. A state agriculture blog lists stone fruit from May to October and apricots from June to August, and other calendars start a little earlier, so treat the months as a loose range. Peaches, nectarines, plums and pluots fill the middle of summer, and a San Diego guide places the peak at the local markets in July and August.

Ripe stone fruit bruises easily, so ask for a bag with room and carry it on top. If a peach has a green shoulder, leave it on the counter for a day or two. Eat the ones that smell of peach first, and keep the firm ones for baking or grilling.

When is the California strawberry season?

The California strawberry season starts in the spring, and sources give a range from March through summer. Berries grown on the coast tend to be sweet and fragile, and the first of the year can be small. By early summer the stalls carry larger berries and the price drops.

Smell them. A ripe strawberry smells like a strawberry, and a berry without scent was likely picked early. Do not wash until you are ready to eat, because water speeds up spoilage. Eat them the day you buy them if you can.

When is avocado season in California?

Avocado season in California is harder to pin down, and calendars disagree. Some list the Hass variety in the summer months, others show spring through summer, and other varieties such as Fuerte and Bacon appear earlier in the year. Growers can leave fruit on the tree for weeks and pick as demand requires, which blurs the dates.

Ask the grower which variety they are selling and when it was picked. Press gently: a ripe avocado yields a little at the stem end. Buy a mix of firm and ready fruit if you are shopping for the week, and keep the firm ones in a paper bag to ripen.

How should you shop a market through the year?

Go early for the best choice, and late for the best price. Bring bags, small bills and a cooler if you have a drive home. Walk the whole market before you spend anything, and taste what is offered. Stalls that cut samples are proud of the fruit.

Plan one meal around what you buy, and leave room in the bag for something you did not expect. A stall that offers an unfamiliar variety, a dried fruit or a jar of local honey is worth a question.

One rule saves money: shop the middle of a season, not its edges. The first fruit of the year is exciting and expensive, and the last is often tired. A bowl of citrus with olive oil in winter, strawberries over yogurt in spring, grilled peaches in summer: the fruit does the work. For the markets themselves, the Los Angeles farmers markets guide lists days and neighborhoods, and the San Diego food halls and markets guide covers the south.

Where should you read next?

For a Sacramento meal built on the valley, read the farm to fork Sacramento guide, and for roadside stops across the state, see food worth a drive in California. The US guides page lists every city and state in this set.

Seasons are easier to learn by tasting than by reading. Get the Mosey app, rate each peach, mandarin and strawberry you buy by sweetness and scent, and build a California produce list that tells you which month to chase them next year.