What Seasons Taste Like
The growing season is just getting underway, and we couldn't be more excited about what's ahead.
Hopefully you froze some berries last summer — enough to get you through the winter season! If you've got some left, it's time to eat them up because berry season is back!
The recent rains threw a small wrench in the schedule (which seems strange, since farmers obviously need rain). Because wet berries bruise and mold quickly, pickers wait for the fields to dry before harvesting again. Strawberries that were already ripe when the rains came can absorb more water and burst or split, so the first job is triage: overripe berries have to be culled before mold spreads to their neighbors. A few sunny days is usually all it takes to reset. The plants themselves are fine — green fruit keeps ripening, flowers keep coming. Get ready for some early-season berries — a hint of summer to come.
Berries are just the opening act! Below, we'll walk you through what's on the way. We work with our farm partners every week to bring in what's at peak. You'll see your favorites as soon as they're ready — and some surprises along the way.
Late Spring / Early Summer
Strawberries lead the way. JSM Organics rolls out their Albion, Chandler, Sweet Ann, and the highly prized (and always limited!) Gaviotas. By mid-June, Live Earth's Seascapes join the lineup. Coastal Moon blueberries are delicious and consistent from April through July–San Joaquins throughout, plus small-batches of Spring High and Jewel. New this year, Murray Family Farms brings flavor packed cherries — plus a unique berry variety on the way.
Live Earth's sugar snap peas show up around the same time, sweet enough to eat raw straight from the bag. Plus, a short season of asparagus from Full Belly — don't miss it! Fifth Crow Farm harvests their renowned greens throughout — baby spinach, spring mix, and more.
Mid Summer
Then comes a special, blink-and-you'll-miss-it window: Blenheim apricot season from Oya Organics. Three weeks, if we're lucky. In the final week we offer a "jamming flat" option for canning or freezing a stash that'll carry you through till next June.
JSM blackberries and raspberries arrive, and olallieberries make a short cameo. Murray Family Farm delights us with other hard-to-find small batch berries. Blueberry season starts winding down by now.
Cherry tomatoes start rolling in: Live Earth's stunning dry-farmed Bronze Torch first, then Sungolds from Oya, and Sweet 100s and mixed cherries from JSM. Also from Oya, a big favorite arrives — sweet lunchbox mini peppers.
By late July, Live Earth's Padrón peppers turn up alongside Oya's first heirloom tomatoes.
Late Summer
Stone fruit takes the spotlight. Murray Family Farms and Frog Hollow bring us pluots, peaches, and nectarines — most in limited supply, all worth chasing. Fifth Crow offers peak-season raspberries and early-harvest apples. Live Earth's early-season apple varieties start to appear, and Early Girl tomatoes come in.
The full tomato and peppers spread is glorious: Cherokee Purple heirlooms from JSM; mixed heirlooms, Sungolds, tomatillos, shishito peppers, and Roma flats (perfect for sauce-making) from Oya. Salt-and-pepper cucumbers from Live Earth keep coming.
Fall
Apples and pears take over. Fifth Crow brings Warren, Seckel, Bosc, and Comice pears, and a whole parade of heirloom apple varieties marches through — Arlet, Gala, Braeburn, Jonagold, Grimes Golden, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady, Fuji. Try a few side by side; each has its own personality. Sarah's Choice cantaloupes and specialty grapes from Live Earth and Murray Family Farms get short, sweet runs.
Greens, roots, and mushrooms come into their own: Fifth Crow baby spinach and carrots, and Sumano's shiitake mushrooms. Squash arrives in waves — Honeynut, Delicata, Kabocha, Red Kabocha. Late fall delivers Brussels sprouts and Romano beans from JSM, and Frog Hollow Fuyu persimmons and pomegranates round out the lineup.
Our schedule bends with the weather — so you get the best
Our schedule is dynamic. Every week we're in direct contact with our farm partners, getting an overview of what's coming and what's wrapping up. Crops ripen on their own timeline — a week of heat can speed things up, a stretch of rain can slow things down — and we adjust right alongside them.
This model is less predictable than the typical grocery store, but it's aligned with how nature actually works. And it means we can bring peak-ripe produce to our community, so you can enjoy it at its tastiest and healthiest.
Why what you eat and where it comes from matters
Following the seasons and eating what's grown locally doesn't just produce better-tasting, healthier food — it's one of the simplest ways to build a better food system.
When food is grown nearby using regenerative practices and harvested at the right time, the benefits stack up. It travels fewer miles, which shrinks its carbon footprint. More of your money stays with local farmers and in our communities. And the farms themselves aren't just producing food — they're improving soil health, increasing biodiversity, and building resilience into the local ecosystem.
We hope that knowing more about where your food comes from and who grew it helps you engage with it differently — that you get curious, learn, and appreciate Northern California's bounty even more.
Join us for the season ahead
Experience the season as it unfolds — join the Berry Club (but it's about so much more than berries!). It's free, with no commitment. Just access to what's ripe now, sourced from farms that grow with care, and harvested to order. The season is just getting started, and we can't wait for all the good things ahead.
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