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

Spring

  • Gulf shrimp: Gulf shrimp season opens in spring and Jackson restaurants take full advantage: Saltine launches its shrimp boil specials and Mayflower Cafe adds Gulf shrimp to its daily fried seafood rotation.
  • Spring greens and ramps: Mississippi spring brings collard greens, turnip tops, and wild ramps to the farmers market and soul food steam tables. Bully's adds seasonal braised greens to its rotation from March onward.
  • Strawberries: Mississippi strawberry season peaks in April and May. Elvie's pastry team uses local strawberries in tarts and galettes; Campbell's Bakery makes strawberry pound cake from mid-April.
  • Crawfish: Gulf crawfish season peaks March to May in Mississippi. Hal and Mal's runs crawfish boils on Fridays in spring; Saltine adds Gulf crawfish to its fresh sheet.

Summer

  • Catfish: Mississippi farm-raised catfish is a year-round staple but summer is the peak season for outdoor fish fries. Bully's serves fried catfish all summer; Walker's Drive-In offers pan-roasted catfish on its summer menu.
  • Watermelon: Mississippi watermelons arrive at the farmers market from mid-June through August - some of the sweetest in the American South. Mississippi Farmers Market stalls fill with local melons every Saturday morning.
  • Peaches and plums: Local peaches from central Mississippi orchards arrive from late June. Elvie's adds peach cobbler and peach galettes to its dessert menu; Campbell's Bakery makes peach pound cake through August.
  • Heirloom tomatoes: Mississippi heirloom tomatoes peak in June and July. The Manship uses local heirloom tomatoes in its summer salads; Walker's Drive-In features them in its seasonal harvest preparation.
  • Okra: Okra is central to Mississippi summer cooking: fried okra at Bully's, pickled okra on cocktail garnishes at Fondren Public, and stewed okra in gumbo at Hen and Egg.

Autumn

  • Sweet potatoes: Mississippi sweet potatoes harvest from October through December. Bully's features sweet potato pie as a seasonal dessert; Walker's Drive-In incorporates them into autumn vegetable preparations.
  • Gulf oysters: Gulf oyster season peaks in autumn as water temperatures drop. Saltine restarts its $1.75 happy hour oyster specials in September; Walker's Drive-In and Mayflower Cafe add fresh oysters back to their menus.
  • Muscadine grapes: Mississippi muscadine grapes are harvested September through October. The grape appears in local wines at CAET and in seasonal desserts at Elvie's and Hen and Egg.
  • Pumpkin and squash: Butternut squash and pumpkin arrive at the Mississippi Farmers Market from September. The Manship uses autumn squash in wood-fired preparations; Campbell's Bakery makes pumpkin pound cake from October.

Winter

  • Turnip greens and collards: Winter is peak season for Mississippi's slow-cooked greens: turnip tops, collard greens, and mustard greens braised low and slow with smoked pork. Bully's steam table carries them through the cold months.
  • Delta hot tamales: Hot tamales are a year-round food in Mississippi but their warming corn-masa nature makes them particularly popular through winter. Big Apple Inn serves them steaming hot from the pot all year.
  • Gumbo: Gumbo season runs from November through March in central Mississippi. Hen and Egg's chef Nick Wallace serves his signature Gulf seafood gumbo on weekends; Hal and Mal's features a rotating gumbo on its winter menu.
  • Pralines and pecan candy: Mississippi pecan orchards deliver their harvest from October through December. Pralines and pecan-based desserts appear across bakeries in winter, including at Campbell's Bakery and at the farmers market.

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