Dallas Seasonal Food: What to Eat and When

What is in season in Dallas. and what to order when the market changes.

Spring

Texas strawberries: Poteet and East Texas strawberries appear at the Dallas Farmers Market from late March through May, smaller and more intensely flavoured than California imports; bakers at Empire Baking and Village Baking use them in seasonal tarts.
Spring asparagus: Texas Hill Country asparagus runs late March through April; look for it at Good Local Markets and the Dallas Farmers Market Shed. Encina and Lucia both feature it on spring menus.
Radishes and spring onions: Texas radishes and spring onions from farms within 150 miles of Dallas hit the market from February onward, earlier than most US markets due to the mild winters; used raw in tacos and braised at Mot Hai Ba.
New potatoes: Texas new potatoes from Atkinson Farms and Braun Farms appear at Saint Michael's Farmers Market in April; roasted with garlic or served with queso they anchor the spring side-dish calendar.

Texas peaches: Fredericksburg Hill Country peaches peak late June through July and are the best stone fruit in the state. They appear at every Dallas farmers market and are used by Central Market and Village Baking Co in cobblers and galettes. Buy the Contender and Redskin varieties for eating out of hand.
Watermelon: Texas watermelons from the Panhandle and Rio Grande Valley are sold roadside and at market from July through September; the yellow-flesh Jubilee and the classic Crimson Sweet are the farm-stand staples.
Black-eyed peas: Fresh black-eyed peas are a summer-only product at Dallas markets from July through September; served stewed with smoked pork at Slow Bone and raw in cowboy caviar salads, the dish Helen Corbitt invented at Neiman Marcus.
Heirloom tomatoes: North Texas and East Texas heirloom tomatoes peak August through mid-September; the Cherokee Purple and German Johnson varieties arrive at Good Local Markets and are used on the summer prix fixe at Lucia and LOCAL Restaurant.
Jalapeños and Texas chiles: Texas jalapeños, serranos, and the native chile pequin ripen July through October; smoked jalapeños (chipotles) appear in BBQ sauces at Pecan Lodge and Lockhart Smokehouse, and fresh chiles are sold by the bushel at Fiesta Mart.

Texas pecans: The native Texas pecan hits full harvest in October and November; Central Market sells them fresh-shelled, and Pecan Lodge uses them in their dessert cobbler. The state's pecan forests are in East Texas and the Hill Country, and the nuts are one of the few indigenous Texas food exports.
State Fair fried foods: The State Fair of Texas at Fair Park from late September through mid-October is the annual showcase for deep-fried novelty foods: Fletcher's corny dogs (served since 1942), Big Red soda floats, and the Big Tex Choice Awards winners rotate yearly with entries like fried butter, fried Oreos, and bacon-wrapped cinnamon rolls.
Winter squash and sweet potatoes: Texas acorn and butternut squash and orange-flesh sweet potatoes arrive at farmers markets in October; Encina uses them in the autumn brunch menu and Kalachandji's incorporates sweet potato into the Indian vegetarian buffet.
Fresh-press apple cider: Hill Country apple orchards in Medina and Fredericksburg press fresh cider from September through November; Central Market sources it for the fall season and it pairs with pecan pastries at Village Baking Co.

Texas Gulf Coast oysters: Galveston Bay and Copano Bay oysters are in peak condition November through March when cold Gulf water brings them to full brine. Blind Bishop, Barcelona Wine Bar, and Lucia serve them raw in winter. The Texas oyster season closes in the heat of summer.
Citrus from the Rio Grande Valley: Ruby Red grapefruit and navel oranges from the Lower Rio Grande Valley are a Texas winter staple from December through February; the Ruby Red, first developed in Texas in the 1920s, is sweeter and less bitter than Florida or California varieties and is used in citrus salads at Mot Hai Ba and Gemma.
Tamales: Tamale-making peaks in December ahead of Christmas, a tradition in every Texas Mexican household. The Dallas Farmers Market Shed, Fiesta Mart, and dozens of home cooks selling through social media produce tamales from November through January; pork in red chile and masa are the traditional form.
Gulf shrimp (brown shrimp season): Texas Gulf brown shrimp season peaks November through February; Central Market sources them fresh and local restaurants including Lucia and Gemma use them on winter menus. The brown shrimp is sweeter and more mineral than the white shrimp sold year-round.