Apple Harvest Reaches Peak Quality
Apples hit their prime season right now, with September being generally the best time to pick apples and 2025 looking to have apples ripening on their normal schedule with good crop conditions. Michigan’s apple growers produce more than a billion pounds of apples each year, making the state one of the top apple-producing regions in the country, with only select few varieties chosen for commercial production due to their exceptional flavor. Most apple varieties are predicted to harvest a few days earlier than normal in many regions, with varieties appearing slightly ahead of normal harvest dates. Early apple varieties like Gala and McIntosh are ready from late August to mid-September in most temperate apple-growing climates.
Peak Fig Season Delivers Mediterranean Flavors
September is prime fig season, and you should be able to find both green and brown types of figs this month. They are grown commercially in more Mediterranean climates, so you might not find them locally if you live in a different area, but you can check at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods if they’re not at farmers markets or regular grocery stores. Fresh figs offer a uniquely sweet taste that’s perfect for both eating fresh and incorporating into seasonal recipes.
Last Call for Summer’s Sweet Melons
Cantaloupe, honeydew, and other melons are in their sweet finale in September. If there are melon varieties beyond the usual cantaloupe and honeydews that you haven’t tasted before, now’s the time to try them. Santa Claus melon, anyone? This is your final opportunity to enjoy these summer fruits at their peak sweetness before the season ends.
Grape Season Hits Its Sweet Spot
August and September are peak grape season, and many states in the US grow grapes, so you might have luck finding them at the farmers market. Grapes shipped to grocery stores are picked slightly early because they ship and store better, but farmers at markets might wait a bit longer to harvest, and if they do, they will be much sweeter. If you haven’t tried Concord grapes, keep your eye out this month – they taste just like grape juice and do have seeds, so be ready for that. Muscat grapes are another favorite, with their greenish-rose color and floral, dessert wine flavor, available at places like Whole Foods.
Winter Squash Makes Its Fall Debut
Winter squash and pumpkins are generally ready to be harvested in early- to mid-autumn, usually late September through October, with most winter squash harvested in September or October in the Northern Hemisphere before the danger of heavy frosts. Seasonal fruits in September include cranberries, grapes, pomegranates, pears, pumpkin, and apples, while you’ll start to see fresh potatoes, yams, and winter squash like butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, and pumpkin makes its fall debut. By late September, these are ready to be harvested, including acorn squash, carnival squash, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, and delicata squash.
Pears Begin Their Prime Season
Pear season is ramping up in September and starting to hit their peak this month and over the next couple of months, with pears tasting better when picked when mature but before they are fully ripe, as when left to fully ripen on the tree, they turn mealy and woody. Winter pear varieties like Anjou, Bosc, and Comice even require a few weeks of cold-storage to ripen perfectly, and when these pears are sold at the grocery store, they’ve already gone through this process. When buying pears at the farmers market, ask if they are ready to eat.
Fresh Corn Reaches End-of-Season Excellence
Where I’m from, the Midwest, corn out in the field is “knee high by the 4th of July” and ready for harvest at their absolute peak in August, and if the farmstands and produce tables are overflowing, grab extras that you can freeze to use through the fall, especially for everyone’s favorite Corn Soufflé for Thanksgiving. This is the last chance to enjoy sweet corn at its peak freshness. Fall produce includes sweet corn among other vegetables like tomatoes, pears, cucumbers, and peas.
Blackberries and Raspberries in Final Harvest
The last of summer’s berries might stick around this month, so get them before they are gone. Blackberries and raspberries are known as “brambleberries,” which grow on large bushes called “brambles,” often with sharp thorns like rose bushes, and brambles and roses stem from the same botanical family, rosaceae. September produce items like bell peppers, berries and squash offer peak levels of vitamins, antioxidants and phytonutrients during this time.
Bell Pepper Season Shows Off Vibrant Colors
September produce items like bell peppers, berries and squash offer peak levels of vitamins, antioxidants and phytonutrients during this time, and grabbing them fresh means you’re getting the best nutritional bang for your buck. Bell peppers are at their most colorful and flavorful right now. Try pairing blackberries with sweet potatoes or making a mulled blackberry cider, mix peppers with winter squash, and add summer fruit to salads made with shredded brussels sprouts.
Brussels Sprouts and Kale Enter Peak Season
You’ll also find mushrooms, kale, broccoli beets, turnips, parsnips and cauliflower to be super fresh in September. Fall seasonal produce includes Brussels sprouts, broccoli, rutabagas, okra, beets, radishes, lettuces, and greens. These hearty greens are perfect for the transition into cooler weather and provide excellent nutritional value for fall meals.
Sweet Potatoes Ready for Harvest
When it comes to seasonal vegetables in September, you’ll start to see fresh potatoes, yams, and winter squash, with some fruits and vegetables in season in December including leafy greens like collard greens and kale, earthy root vegetables like turnips and sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes appear in fall seasonal produce lists, providing hearty nutrition and versatile cooking options. Try pairing blackberries with sweet potatoes or making creative combinations with these seasonal ingredients. Sweet potatoes offer rich flavor and are perfect for both savory and sweet applications as autumn approaches.
