What Does “Harvest Season” Actually Mean?

We talk about “harvest season” as though nature circles a few weeks on the calendar and announces that everything is ready.

Of course, gardens don't work that way.

Tomatoes may be reaching their peak while apples are just beginning to come in. Grapes have their own schedule. Pumpkins need more time. Some vegetables actually prefer the cooler weather that sends many summer crops into decline.

So when we call fall “harvest season,” what does that really mean?

Every Crop Has Its Own Clock

A plant doesn't know that September has arrived.

Instead, its growth and development are influenced by things such as temperature, sunlight, rainfall, variety and the number of days it has been growing.

And different plants need very different amounts of time.

A tomato plant can begin producing ripe fruit during summer and continue into early fall if conditions remain favorable.

Apples develop over a much longer period after the trees flower in spring, with different varieties ripening at different times.

Grapes also spend months developing on the vine before reaching the combination of sugars, acids, color and flavor that signals harvest time.

Pumpkins need time for the fruit to mature and the rind to harden.

Broccoli is different again. It is a cool-season crop that often grows particularly well as temperatures become milder.

There isn't one harvest clock.

There are thousands of them ticking away in fields, orchards and gardens.

Ripe Doesn't Mean the Same Thing for Every Food

We often judge ripeness by color, but farmers and gardeners may be looking for much more.

A tomato changes color and becomes softer as it ripens.

An apple needs the right balance of sweetness, acidity, firmness and flavor. Its outside color alone may not tell you whether it's ready.

A grape needs enough sugar and the right flavor development.

A pumpkin should have mature color and a firm rind that resists being easily punctured.

With broccoli, we're not waiting for a fruit to ripen at all. We're harvesting clusters of immature flower buds before those little buds open into flowers.

That's one of the fascinating things about eating plants.

We don't always eat the same plant part - and we don't always harvest it at the same stage of development.

Sometimes We Eat the Fruit. Sometimes We Don't.

Think about what ends up on our plates.

With an apple, we're eating a fruit that developed from a flower.

With a tomato, we're also eating a fruit, botanically speaking, even though we usually treat tomatoes as vegetables in the kitchen.

With broccoli, we're mostly eating stems and unopened flower buds.

With spinach, we're eating leaves.

With carrots, we're eating roots.

With celery, we're eating leaf stalks.

And when we eat pumpkin seeds, we're eating an entirely different part of the same plant than when we eat pumpkin flesh.

“Ready to harvest” therefore means something different depending on exactly which part of the plant we're waiting for.

Why Is Fall Such a Big Harvest Time?

Fall earns its reputation because many crops that spent spring and summer growing finally reach maturity around the same general period.

At the same time, some summer crops may still be producing while cool-weather crops are beginning to thrive.

That creates an overlap.

Where I live in New Jersey, late summer and early fall can bring tomatoes, peppers, apples, grapes, pumpkins, winter squash, broccoli and other crops into the local harvest picture at overlapping times.

Move to another part of the country - or another part of the world - and the calendar changes.

Climate matters. Geography matters. Weather matters.

Even two farms fairly close to one another can have slightly different harvest dates.

Then Why Can We Buy Almost Everything All Year?

Walk into a modern supermarket in January and you may still find tomatoes, apples, grapes, broccoli and peppers sitting beside one another.

That doesn't mean they're all in season where you live.

Today's food system brings produce from different growing regions around the country and around the world. When winter arrives in one place, crops may be growing somewhere with a warmer climate.

Some foods can also be stored for surprisingly long periods under carefully controlled conditions. Apples are a great example. Commercial storage can slow the processes that cause them to age, allowing certain varieties to remain available long after the local harvest has ended.

So available at the grocery store and locally in season are not necessarily the same thing.

Your Local Harvest Has Its Own Story

One of the easiest ways to discover what's actually in season where you live is simply to pay attention.

Notice what suddenly becomes abundant at farm stands. Look at what's appearing at farmers markets. Ask a local grower what's being picked that week.

Better yet, take children along.

Instead of simply telling them that apples grow on trees or broccoli is made of flower buds, let them see those things when possible.

Food becomes much more interesting when we stop thinking of it as something that begins on a supermarket shelf.

Before every apple, tomato, pumpkin or head of broccoli reached a store, there was a plant growing somewhere.

And somewhere, someone had to decide:

It's ready.

Visit the gardens in Harvest Grove through our Interactive Map with audio hotspots!