By Johanna Klaiman—
September at the farmers’ market is arguably the most confusing, and one of the best, times of year to shop.
Although the first day of fall is just over a week away, San Francisco is only now beginning to feel like summer has arrived. September is historically the city’s warmest month of the year, and as the rest of the country starts to layer up, San Franciscans are just beginning to feel the warmth.
The produce at the Castro Farmers’ Market reflects this best-of-both-worlds moment. The market is caught somewhere between summer and fall. You can still find summer’s bright, juicy flavors in the tomatoes, melons, and stone fruit piled high. But scattered among them are the first signs of fall. Apples and grapes are here, and the colors and harvests of autumn will become increasingly plentiful in the weeks ahead.
And while one may feel compelled to live in the binary and pick summer or fall, there is no rule saying that September 22 means we have to put away the tomatoes and reach exclusively for apples. The truth is, there’s no need to choose.
These are the weeks for eating everything at once, and there may be no better place to do that than outside, at the intersection of fall and summer.
Picnic season isn’t over just yet. In fact, September might be when it finally feels like it should have begun all along. Whether you’re heading to Dolores Park for a sunny afternoon, Golden Gate Park for Opera in the Park or to bask in the music of the Flower Piano, or simply taking advantage of a warmer-than-usual day, the Castro Farmers’ Market has everything you need to turn a patch of grass into a dining room.
A loaf of bread from Bernal Bakery, cheese from Pacheco Family Ranch, tomatoes from Orozco Farm, and maybe a melon, still warm from the late-summer sun, can become a meal spread across a picnic blanket, with the city stretching out all around you.
Rosh Hashanah is just around the corner, too. The holiday’s tradition of eating apples and honey in hopes of a sweet new year offers another opportunity to bring the farmers’ market to the table. Apples from Allard Farms and honey from Alex’s Family Bee Farm bring a little local sweetness to the celebration. The Jewish New Year arrives in September, a month that lives in its own kind of beginning: summer is still here, but fall is already on its way.
And as summer afternoons give way to school-day schedules, there is the lunch box. The loose and lingering days of summer abruptly shift to alarm clocks, packed backpacks, and hectic weekday mornings. As those routines start to settle in, the farmers’ market can offer a few ways to make the transition a little easier. Empanadas from Nucha’s Empanadas make an easy after-school snack.
Eggs from Clara’s Egg Farm can start the morning. A handful of microgreens from Super Duper Microgreens can disappear into a sandwich or small salad, adding more nutritious greens to the busy day.
The ambiguity of the month is not lost on us here at the Castro Farmers’ Market. The calendar says fall, the weather says summer, and the market says both. It’s a month of compelling contradictions where we get to enjoy the last tomato of summer with the first apple of fall.
The seasons will sort themselves out eventually. For now, we get to enjoy the in-between.
And if you’re looking for a way to eat a little bit of both seasons at once, pick up some grapes from Allard Farms or Kens Top Notch and try this recipe!
Chile Lime Grape Sorbet
Sweet, tart, and spicy, this refreshing sorbet transforms plump farmers’ market grapes into the perfect September treat.
Time: 20 minutes, plus freezing time
Serves: 2
Featuring: Allard Farms, Kens Top Notch
Ingredients
2 cups frozen grapes
Juice of half a lime
chili lime seasoning
Freeze grapes for at least 2 hours or until frozen solid. Blend the frozen grapes with an immersion blender until smooth. Place in a serving bowl. Drizzle with freshly squeezed lime juice, sprinkle generously with chili lime seasoning, and serve immediately.
Johanna Klaiman is the Social Media Specialist at the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association.
Farmers’ Market Finds
Published on September 10, 2026
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