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

Spring

  • Bay Area asparagus and early strawberries hit the Old Oakland and Grand Lake farmers markets through April and May. Dungeness crab season runs through spring, with crab cake specials at waterfront kitchens around Jack London Square.

Summer

  • Heirloom tomatoes and stone fruit peak July through September across the farmers markets. Bay Area corn, melons and figs run the same window. Oakland's June through August coastal fog keeps the city cooler than Berkeley or Walnut Creek, but the produce shows the inland heat.

Autumn

  • Wine grape harvest in Napa and Sonoma ripples through Oakland's wine bar programs September and October. Sonoma County's Gravenstein apple, late stone fruit and the first persimmons hit the markets. Oaktoberfest takes over Dimond District in October.

Winter

  • Dungeness crab opens mid-November and runs heaviest December through February. Citrus from the inland valleys, brassicas from Watsonville and Half Moon Bay artichokes round out the cold-weather farmers market tables. Comfort dishes anchor menus at Wood Tavern, Burdell and the Cantonese kitchens of Chinatown.

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