Use the Seasonal Food Guide to Eat Seasonally

Do you want to support your local food system and eat fresh, in-season produce? Our Seasonal Food Guide can help. We developed the Seasonal Food Guide website and app (available for iOS and Android devices) as a pocket guide to seasonal food and a farmers’ market cheat sheet to use on the go, wherever you are.

Here’s how it works: plug in your zip code — or, with the app, you’ll be geolocated — and the time of year (given in half-month increments) and you’ll see an extensive list of what’s in season for your location. With information on more than 140 types of fruits, veggies, legumes, nuts and herbs, the Seasonal Food Guide is the most comprehensive digital almanac of seasonal, local food available. You can search what’s in season in each of the 50 states, any time of the year!

Along with a list of what’s in season, you’ll also find links for each ingredient to our Real Food Encyclopedia, an online primer filled with shopping tips, sustainability information and great recipes. If you are an app user, our information is also available offline, so you can always access this seasonality information, no matter where you are. Plus, you can set reminders so you’ll never miss your favorite seasonal food again!

Why choose in-season produce? Just like a home-grown tomato tastes better, locally grown, in-season produce usually tastes better. Studies also indicate that seasonal food can be fresher and more nutritious than food consumed out of season. And by purchasing in season from local farms, your food dollar goes directly to farmers, supporting your local economy and environmental damage caused by shipping foods thousands of miles.

To ensure the data in the guide is as accurate as possible, we sourced our information from the experts: the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), state agriculture extension offices and state departments of agriculture.