What is in season in Frankfurt. and what to order when the market changes.
Spring
- Grüne Soße herbs: The seven-herb season opens in spring; Oberrad's growers bundle borage, sorrel, chervil and the rest for the Saturday market on Buchrainplatz.
- Grüne Soße Festival: Early May brings the Roßmarkt cook-off where kitchens compete over the definitive sauce; evening tasting shows sell out fast.
- Hessen asparagus: White asparagus leads menus from late April; producer-driven kitchens like Bornheimer Ratskeller build whole boards around it.
Summer
- Apfelwein garden season: From May the tavern gardens open across Sachsenhausen and Bornheim; Zur Sonne's chestnut courtyard and Solzer's 300-seat garden peak in July.
- Festival eating on the Main: Mainfest at the turn of August and the Museumsuferfest at its end line both riverbanks with food stalls and Kelterei stands.
- Gelato queues: Hot evenings stretch the lines at Eis Christina in the Nordend past 21:00; the fruit sorbets follow the orchard calendar.
Autumn
- Süßer and Rauscher: The new apple pressings arrive in stages each autumn: cloudy sweet Süßer first, then sharp part-fermented Rauscher at the self-pressing taverns.
- Rheingauer Weinmarkt: Early September fills the Fressgass with over 600 Rheingau wines poured by their makers, Frankfurt's soft start to harvest season.
- Lohrberg pressing days: The MainÄppelHaus orchard centre runs its mobile cider press in autumn; bring fruit from your own tree and bottle the juice.
Winter
- Bethmännchen: The three-almond marzipan domes own Advent; Konditorei counters and the Weihnachtsmarkt stalls sell them from late November.
- Hot apfelwein: Frankfurt mulls cider rather than wine at its Christmas market on the Römerberg, spiced and served from Bembel-shaped urns.
- Rippchen weather: Cured pork ribs on sauerkraut are the tavern order when the gardens shut; Wagner serves them boiled or grilled all winter.