Serious Eats
Market Scene: Late August in San Francisco
[Photographs: Jennifer Maiser]
This has been a hard year to figure out seasonally in the Bay Area. It has been a cold season, which means that many crops are late and the farmers' market crops are a bit topsy-turvy. Two weeks ago, I finally bought a good amount of tomatoes for the week. By this time in normal years, I would be five to six weeks into tomatoes, and starting to can for the year. But the tomatoes are so late this year—they're finally starting to taste ripe this week—that I probably won't even think about canning for a few more weeks.
This creates an interesting conundrum in the market—as beautiful Kabocha squash (a fall/winter vegetable) are starting to make their way onto the scene when many of us feel that we haven't had enough of our summer yet. As gorgeous as the Kabocha are, I will have to immerse myself in figs, tomatoes and eggplant for a few more weeks before I'm ready to start thinking about winter squash.
It's an awesome time to shop from the market. The air in San Francisco is a bit crisp with bright, sunny days, and the market is in full force -- it's nearly impossible to go to the market and not return with bags full to the brim of the late summer bounty.
Seasonal Produce Guide
In Season Right this Minute
Black Mission figs
Tomatoes
Summer squash
Herbs of all sorts
Melons
Peppers
Coming Soon
Zante currants
Apples
Winter squash in abundance
Sweet potatoes
It's Time To Put Up
Fig jam
Roasted peppers
Pickled okra
Dilly beans
About the author: Jennifer Maiser writes about locally and sustainably grown food. She is the founder and editor of the Eat Local Challenge website and writes at Life Begins at 30, her personal weblog.