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local food enforcement authority in US Information
local food enforcement authority is usually open year-round. It's ALWAYS advisable to see the local food enforcement authority website, and/or to call or email them before you head out there, as many factors, can affect their availability and open hours. And that can change not only from year to year, but day to day!
When are common crops available?
Below is a general month by month overview for the northern hemisphere (North America). Be sure to see the US-specific harvest calendar for local dates.
Below is the general info, keep in mind this is very general, this is NOT a list of what local food enforcement authority has this year or ANY year or will have on any day. See the US-specific harvest calendar for typical crop harvest dates in US and see local food enforcement authority website for their current availability. This list below is a general list for many commonly grown crops.
The South will be the earlier end, and the North, the latter:
- November to March - Citrus (oranges, grapefruit, mandarins, etc, in so Cal, AZ, NM, TX, FL
- March - April: Asparagus
- Late April-June: strawberries
- June- July: cherries
- June-August: blueberries, blackberries
- July-September: peaches, figs, tomatoes, green beans
- July-October: raspberries
- August - Figs, Fall raspberries start, early apples
- September-October: apples and grapes
- October: late apples, Pumpkins
- December: Christmas trees
Specific Fruit and Vegetable Picking and Preserving Guides and Recipes
After you go to local food enforcement authority, you may want to freeze, can, make jams, jellies, sauces, pickles or preserve the fruit or vegetables you get there. See these pages below for detailed, illustrated, step-by-step instructions that make it easy!
- How much do I need to pick?
- Apples
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Cherries
- Figs
- Green Beans
- Peaches, Plums and Apricots
- Pears
- Peppers (hot or sweet)
- Raspberries
- Rhubarb
- Sweet Potatoes
- Strawberries
- Tomatoes
- Watermelons
- Other Vegetables
- Complete list of home canning and freezing directions
See below for more farm-related information
- Home canning and freezing directions
- Pumpkin patches
- Corn mazes
- Christmas Tree Farms & lots
- Easter egg hunts
- Find local children's consignment sales
- Home canning equipment and supplies
- How to make homemade ice cream
- Recommended canning +books and guides
- Farm markets and roadside stands
- Local fruit and vegetable festivals
- Local Winery tours and wine tastings
- Other types of local farms: honey, horses, meats, milk, eggs, etc.
- Environmental resources
- Consumer fraud information
Looking for canning equipment and supplies?
Water bath canner with a jar rack
Pressure canners for gas, electric and induction stoves: Presto 23Qt or T-fal 22Qt
Canning scoop (this one is PERFECT)
Ball Blue book (most recent version)