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Farmers Market Finds: What to Buy This Month and What to Make With It
Updated: 2 days ago
Walk into a Central Coast farmers market in any month and you will find something at its peak. That is the quiet advantage of living where we do: a coastal climate that rarely freezes, inland valleys that bake in summer, and farms small enough to sell what they picked that morning. The trick is knowing what to reach for and what to do with it once it is on your counter.
This is our rolling guide, organized by season, with the month-by-month specifics we look for. We are not chefs. We are two people who shop the Thursday night market in SLO and the Saturday markets around the county, and who have learned what is worth carrying home.
CITRUS · AVOCADOS · BRASSICAS
Winter: December through February
This is citrus season on the Central Coast, and the markets are full of it. Look for navel oranges, mandarins, Meyer lemons, and grapefruit from the warmer inland growers. Avocados from the coastal groves near Morro Bay and the Five Cities start showing up in quantity.
Brassicas are at their best: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and kale that has sweetened with the cool nights. Winter squash is still around from the fall harvest. Leafy greens, leeks, beets, and carrots are abundant.
What to make:
A big salad of shaved fennel, mandarin segments, and avocado with a Meyer lemon dressing. It is the most Central Coast lunch there is.
Roasted cauliflower and leeks with a squeeze of lemon and whatever local olive oil you picked up from the North County producer at the market.
Citrus marmalade, if you have a rainy weekend. Winter is the season for it here, and our post on living on the Central Coast in winter explains why the rain is the best thing about it.
STRAWBERRIES · ASPARAGUS · ARTICHOKES · FAVAS
Spring: March through May
Spring hits the markets fast. Strawberries arrive from the Santa Maria Valley and the fields around Arroyo Grande and Nipomo, and they get better every week until the Strawberry Festival crowd shows up over Memorial Day weekend.
Asparagus, artichokes, peas, fava beans, and green garlic are the spring vegetables to hunt for. Lettuces are tender. Spring onions and radishes are sharp. The first apricots appear at the end of the season.
What to make:
Strawberries with nothing. Really. Buy a flat, eat them in the car, and save the rest for shortcake.
Grilled artichokes with a lemon-garlic aioli. Artichokes love the coastal fog, and the local ones are meatier than what you find in a supermarket.
A fava and pea salad with mint, feta, and good oil. Shelling favas is tedious and worth it.
Roasted asparagus with a fried egg from one of the egg vendors. Spring dinner in fifteen minutes.
TOMATOES · STONE FRUIT · CORN · MELONS
Summer: June through August
Summer is when the inland growers take over. Tomatoes from Paso Robles, Templeton, and the Edna Valley arrive in every shape and color. Stone fruit is at its peak: peaches, nectarines, plums, and pluots from North County orchards.
Corn, summer squash, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, and green beans are everywhere. Melons show up in the hottest weeks. Basil is cheap and fragrant. Blackberries and the last strawberries overlap.
What to make:
Tomato salad with salt, oil, and basil, eaten at room temperature on a patio while the coast is fogged in and you are grateful for a drive to Paso.
Grilled peaches with a drizzle of local honey and a scoop of whatever the ice cream vendor is selling.
A ratatouille or a big tray of roasted summer vegetables you can eat all week.
Salsa, obviously. Tomatoes, peppers, onion, cilantro, and lime, all from the same market. Pair it with the tacos we recommend in our post on the best tacos on the Central Coast.
One tip for summer: the coastal markets and the inland markets carry different produce because the microclimates are so different. If you want the best tomatoes and stone fruit, go to Paso Robles or Templeton. If you want the best greens and berries, stay near the coast.
GRAPES · SEE CANYON APPLES · PERSIMMONS
Fall: September through November
Fall is the season locals wait for, and the markets show why. Wine grapes are being harvested in the vineyards, and table grapes and grape juice appear at the stands. Apples arrive from See Canyon, the small apple-growing valley between SLO and Avila Beach, and this is the one time of year to buy them.
Pomegranates, persimmons, and figs come in from the warmer areas. Winter squash, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes pile up. Peppers finish strong. Walnuts and almonds from North County are fresh.
What to make:
Apple crisp with See Canyon apples. Nothing else from the county tastes as specifically like here.
Roasted delicata squash with pomegranate seeds and a little chili.
A persimmon and arugula salad with toasted walnuts.
Fig jam, or just figs with a piece of local cheese from one of the creameries that sell at the markets.
Our post on harvest season in SLO County covers what else changes around the county in these months, from vineyard traffic to the best weekends for a drive.
The best market advice we ever got was from a farmer in Templeton: buy what they have the most of. That is what is peaking, and that is what is cheapest.
EGGS · OLIVE OIL · BREAD · HONEY
Year-round staples worth knowing
Some things are at the markets every week, and they are worth building your shopping around:
Eggs from small flocks around the county, with yolks that make supermarket eggs look pale.
Local olive oil from North County producers, which has become a serious product here.
Bread from the county's bakeries, several of which sell at the markets. We list our favorites in Central Coast bakeries worth waking up for.
Honey, often from hives within a few miles of the market.
Seafood at the coastal markets, particularly in Morro Bay, where the boats are right there.
Avocados, nearly year-round from the coastal groves, though the peak is winter and spring.
Flowers, which are cheap and glorious and the reason half the people at the Thursday market are carrying a bouquet.
THURSDAY NIGHT SLO · SATURDAY MORNINGS
Which market, which day
Every town in the county has a market on a different day, and they each have a personality. The SLO Thursday night market is the big one, part street fair and part grocery run. The Saturday morning markets in SLO, Paso Robles, Templeton, and Arroyo Grande are where serious cooks shop.
The smaller weekday markets in Morro Bay, Baywood, Cambria, and Atascadero are quieter and more neighborly. We break down every one of them in our guide to farmers markets across SLO County, every day of the week.
Your next step
If you are considering a move to the Central Coast, do this on your next visit: go to a farmers market on a Saturday morning and stand there for twenty minutes. You will see who lives here, what they cook, and how the towns differ. Then tell us what you noticed. It is genuinely useful when we are helping you decide between the coast and the inland valleys, and you can browse homes for sale in both while you think it over.
Talk With Kim & Kristen
We are Kim San Jule and Kristen Gentry, Broker Associates with Real Broker, serving San Luis Obispo County and the Central Coast. Whether you are buying, selling, or simply thinking ahead, we are glad to be a resource.
Kim San Jule · Broker Associate, DRE 01948144 · 805-345-8303 · kimsanjule@gmail.com
Kristen Gentry · Broker Associate, DRE 01968754 · 805-441-4618 · kristengentryslo@gmail.com
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