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

Spring

  • Asparagus: First-of-season Rhode Island asparagus arrives at the Hope Street Farmers Market by mid-May; multiple grower stalls carry the early-season spears.
  • Quahogs: Spring is peak quahog season in Narragansett Bay, before the summer warm-water closures; stuffies (baked stuffed quahogs) start showing up on shore-town menus in April.
  • RI strawberries: Local strawberries from Sweet Berry Farm in Middletown and Schartner Farms in Exeter hit the Hope Street Farmers Market in June.

Summer

  • Sweet corn: Sweet corn from the bigger Aquidneck Island farms arrives in late July and runs through Labor Day; Confreda's stand in Cranston is the city's reliable supplier.
  • Calamari: Rhode Island calamari (the state appetizer since 2014) is at its best in summer when fresh squid is landed daily in Galilee; Andino's on Federal Hill has the canonical hot-pepper version.
  • Tomatoes: Local field tomatoes peak August into early September; Federal Hill's Costantino's Venda Ravioli's San Marzano hand-pressed pasta is best with the height-of-season fresh sauce.
  • Quahogs (stuffies): Summer is the shore-shack stuffie window. Iggy's Doughboys at Oakland Beach and the Bowen's Wharf Seafood Festival in October are the easiest tasting venues.

Autumn

  • Rhode Island Greening apples: The state's heritage apple, RI Greening, ripens in late September; tart and firm, the canonical pie apple. Farms in Smithfield and Greenville sell them through October.
  • Oysters: Cold-water Rhode Island oysters peak in autumn from the nine state growing regions. Gift Horse on Westminster represents all nine in its rotating oyster menu.
  • Bay scallops: Local bay scallops land in October and run into early winter; Matunuck Oyster Bar in South Kingstown plates them at peak season.

Winter

  • Coffee milk season: Coffee milk is year-round but anchors winter; Autocrat and Eclipse syrups go onto every diner counter, mixed with cold milk for the state's signature drink.
  • Italian holiday baking: December at Scialo Bros on Federal Hill: torrone, panettone, sfogliatelle, Italian Christmas cookies by the pound; the brick ovens run constant from Thanksgiving on.
  • Restaurant Weeks prix-fixe: Providence Restaurant Weeks lands in late January and February: 90-plus restaurants run three-course prix-fixe menus. The cheapest way to eat at Mill's Tavern or Bacaro.

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