Seasonal Food in San Francisco: What to Eat When

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

Spring

Asparagus: California green and white asparagus run March through May, with the peak at the Ferry Plaza market in mid-April from Zuckerman Farms in the Sacramento Delta.
Chinook salmon (king): Pacific chinook season opens in May from Half Moon Bay and Bodega Bay; the kitchen at Octavia and Saison run it through the summer until the late September close.
English peas and fava beans: Peas and favas peak through April; Knoll Farms in Brentwood is the Saturday grower, and the pasta board at Cotogna usually folds them in by mid-April.
Strawberries (Driscolls and Watsonville): Strawberries arrive in early March and peak through June. Look for Driscoll and Watsonville baskets at Alemany and Ferry Plaza; smaller growers run a sweeter heirloom variety.

Stone fruit (peaches, nectarines, plums): Frog Hollow Farm runs a Ferry Plaza stand from May to October; the white peach in early August is the season's set piece, gone by mid-September each year.
Heirloom tomatoes: Dirty Girl Produce in Santa Cruz brings dry-farmed Early Girls to the Ferry Plaza market through July and August; the Octavia tomato course in August is the city's annual benchmark.
Pacific halibut: Halibut season runs May through September. Local kitchens (Bouletteslarder, Tadich Grill) keep it on the lunch menu; Anchor Oyster Bar serves it grilled with brown butter.
Padron and shishito peppers: Padrons run July through September at the Ferry Plaza market; the kitchen at Nopa blisters them in olive oil with sea salt as a four-dollar bar snack across the summer.

Wild mushrooms (chanterelle, porcini, black trumpet): Northern California mushroom season runs October to December after the first rains. Far West Fungi and Mendocino Mycological Society stands at Ferry Plaza carry the haul.
Persimmons (Hachiya and Fuyu): Persimmons arrive in October and run through December. Hachiya for sweet jam; Fuyu for salads. The Tartine country loaf with persimmon and ricotta is the autumn breakfast plate.
Cranberry beans and shell beans: Shell beans peak in September and October; Rancho Gordo at the Ferry Plaza market is the city's bean specialist, with the cranberry bean as the autumn risotto base at Quince.

Dungeness crab: Dungeness crab season opens the second week of November and runs through June, though the meat is best between November and March. Swan Oyster Depot is the cracked-crab benchmark.
Citrus (Meyer lemon, Cara Cara, blood orange): Citrus runs December through March at the Alemany Farmers Market. Meyer lemons from local backyards arrive first; Cara Cara and blood oranges peak January and February.
Tomales Bay oysters: Oysters from Tomales Bay (Hog Island, Drakes Bay) are best in cool months. Hog Island's Ferry Building bar runs through winter; the half-shell is sweetest December to March.
Brassicas (Brussels sprouts, kale, broccolini): Brassicas anchor winter farmers market stalls from November to February. The Castelvetrano-olive Brussels sprouts at True Laurel are the season's bar order.