Nectarines are, essentially, fuzz-less peaches. They should feel heavy for their size and give just a bit when held firmly.
New Potatoes are small, freshly harvested potatoes with paper-thin skins. They are delicious simply boiled and buttered or used in potato salads.
Okra needs heat to grow, so a nice long, hot summer in warmer climates brings out its best. Look for firm, plump pods.
Onions come from storage all year round but most onions are harvested in late summer through the fall.
Peaches are one of the highlights of summer eating. Look for fruits that feel heavy for their size and that give just a bit when pushed. Avoid fruits that have green near the stem.
Peas come into season in the spring and continue in most areas well into summer.
Peppers - both sweet and spicy - are harvested in late summer and early fall.
Plums & pluots should feel heavy for their size and have a lovely, perfumed and sweet smell.
Potatoes starts being harvested n summer in many climates.
Radicchio s sweeter when t doesn't get too hot. Radicchio comes into season in summer in cooler climates. Look for somewhat firm heads, a fresh-cut end, and bright white ribs on the pretty purple leaves.
Radishes should have bright, fresh greens attached (that tells you they are freshly harvested).
Ramps are foraged in the spring and early summer and sometimes available at farmers markets and specialty stores.
Raspberries are the most delicate of all berries. Look for plump berries and never buy a carton (or flat) with smashed, rotting, or moldy berries - that damage spreads incredibly fast.
Rhubarb is the first fruit of spring in many areas but stays in season into summer n most areas - look for heavy stalks with shiny skin.
Shallots are milder, sweeter, and less bitter than their onion and garlic cousins—perfect for salad dressings.
Shelling beans are those beans that can become dried beans but are briefly available fresh, as shelling beans, in mid-summer to early fall depending on your climate.
Spinach, indeed, has a season. It varies with your climate - year-round in temperate areas, summer and fall in cooler areas, fall through spring in warmers regions.
Spring Onions are available in early summer in some areas.
Strawberries are mostly grown in California or Florida, where the strawberry growing season runs from January through November. Peak season is April through June. Other areas of the country have shorter growing seasons that range from five-months to as short as a few weeks in the coldest areas where you'll find local specimens at market in July.
Sweet Onions have slightly different seasons depending on type and region, but in general they are available in spring and summer.
Tomatillos look like small green tomatoes with a light green papery husk.
Tomatoes may be the single number-one draw to farmers markets and local eating. Try to sample tomatoes before you buy them - even beautiful, heavy, unblemished specimens can lack the flavor you want.
Watermelons should feel heavy for their size. Unlike other melons, watermelons don't tend to emit a smell even when they're ripe and ready to eat.
Zucchini & Other Summer Squash have a harvest season from summer into fall in most climates.
Zucchini Blossoms are increasingly sold at farmers markets and specialty stores. Look for fresh blossoms (no brown ends or tips) and use them quickly.
