Apples, Pomegranates, and More: A Farmers Market Guide to Fall Fruit
October 3, 2025
As summer turns to fall at the farmers market, stone fruit, berries, and melons make way for autumn’s bounty. Replacing these stars of summer are dozens of varieties of apples, pears, and other fall fruit, many of which you can only enjoy at their seasonal peak when tree-ripened and freshly harvested from California’s farms.
“Pomes”—a category that includes apples, pears, and quince—start appearing on the market stands in late summer. The apple harvest begins in August, ushering in a parade of heirloom varieties that are often only available for a few weeks, such as Gravensteins, Pink Pearls, and Mutsus. Crispy Asian pears and buttery European pears also begin to fill the fruit stands, in all of their colorful varieties. Persimmons and pomegranates start in late September and pick up in October and November, before winter’s juicy citrus begins to dominate the market.
Check out our guides to some common fall fruits below. This October, stop by the orange Seasonal Spotlight tent at Foodwise farmers markets for recipes, cooking tips, and free samples to discover a variety of ways to enjoy them, and celebrate them at our Fall Fruit Festival on October 25.
Find Fall Fruit at These Farms at Foodwise Farmers Markets
Arata Farms • Blossom Bluff Orchards • Chinchiolo Farms • Devoto Gardens & Orchards • Everything Under the Sun • Frog Hollow Farm • K&J Orchards • Rainbow Orchards • Rojas Family Farms • The Peach Farm • Tory Farms • Twin Girls Farm
Apples
August through November is peak apple season at California’s farmers markets. At grocery stores, you might only find a handful of varieties like Red Delicious, but at the farmers market, you’ll find fresh heirlooms, each available for a brief, delicious window of time.
Pears
There are two main categories of pear varieties, Asian and European. Freshly harvested pears are available from August through November, but cold storage helps farmers elongate their seasonality through the winter months, too
Persimmons
There are two distinctly different types of persimmon and many varieties of each type. Astringent varieties, like the Hachiya, must ripen fully before they are eaten; non-astringent varieties, like the squat Fuyu, can be eaten when they are still hard.
Pomegranates
Despite their prominence in history, mythology, and Middle Eastern cuisine, pomegranates did not enjoy much reverence in the United States until recently.
More Fall Fruit