Taste the Tradition
What's in Season
New Mexico · Taste the Tradition
What’s in Season
From the first spring greens to autumn’s roasting chile, here’s what New Mexico’s high-desert farms and orchards are harvesting right now — and the homegrown originals worth seeking out year-round.
The official State Question: Red or Green? Red Green
Spring
March – MayAsparagus Peak
Fleeting early-spring spears — green, purple and white.
Spring Onions Peak
Early sweet bunching onions before the summer bulb crop.
Radishes Peak
Many colors and daikon types; spicier as spring warms.
Salad Greens Peak
Leaf, butter, tatsoi and microgreens before the heat.
Spinach Peak
Young, tender cool-season leaves — abundant by April.
Green Garlic & Scapes Peak
A NM spring specialty; scapes make a bright pesto.
Rhubarb Peak
Peaks April–May, strongest in the higher north.
Arugula
Baby and mature mustard-flavored leaves.
Quelites & Verdolagas
Traditional New Mexican cooking greens (lamb’s quarters & purslane).
Cooking Greens
Kale, chard and collards — cool-season market staples.
Snap & Snow Peas
Arrive late May, especially at northern markets.
Spring Herbs
Chives, sorrel, mint, tarragon, oregano and sage.
Summer
June – AugustGreen (Hatch) Chile Peak
Harvest & roasting begin late July, peaking through August.
Sweet Corn Peak
Sold day-of-harvest at markets for peak sweetness.
Tomatoes Peak
Heirloom varieties fill NM markets June through August.
Melons Peak
Pecos Valley cantaloupes near Roswell ripen mid-to-late summer.
Pueblo Melons Peak
Acoma, Isleta and Cochiti heirlooms, named for their growers.
Peaches & Nectarines Peak
NM stone fruit peaks in July — a market favorite.
Summer Squash
Zucchini and yellow squash, steady June–July.
Cucumbers
Many varieties abundant across NM markets.
Green Beans
Snap, stringed and stringless types peak in July.
Cherries
The earliest NM stone fruit, ripening late June into July.
Apricots
A tender early-summer stone fruit; June–July.
Eggplant
Purple, white and Japanese types at market.
Onions
Sweet summer bulbs harvested across southern NM.
Fresh Herbs
Basil, cilantro, mint and oregano at their most fragrant.
Fall
September – NovemberHatch Green Chile Peak
Roasting peaks late Aug into Sept; Hatch Festival on Labor Day weekend.
Red Chile & Ristras Peak
Vine-ripened pods strung into sun-drying ristras from early September.
Pecans Peak
Mesilla Valley harvest Oct–Dec; NM is a top-two US producer.
Apples Peak
Ripen early Sept–late Oct, heavy in northern orchards.
Piñon Nuts Peak
Wild-gathered after first frost; big crops only every few years.
Pinto Beans Peak
Estancia Valley dryland crop, harvested Sept into mid-October.
Pumpkins Peak
Peak at October harvest festivals across the state.
Winter Squash Peak
Butternut, acorn and calabacita; store well through fall.
Pomegranates
Rio Grande Valley (Corrales, Los Poblanos) ripen into mid-fall.
Root Vegetables
Carrots, beets, turnips and onions fill market stalls.
Cooking Greens
Kale, chard and collards thrive as the weather cools.
Sweet Potatoes
Dug in fall — a warm-season storage crop for the south.
Winter
December – FebruaryDried Red Chile Peak
Ristras and ground powder from Hatch & Chimayó, year-round.
Pinto Beans Peak
Dried Mesilla Valley staple, shelf-stable all winter.
Pecans Peak
November harvest stores beautifully; ~70% grown in Doña Ana County.
Piñon Peak
Fall-gathered northern-NM pine nuts, prized and slow to roast.
Winter Squash Peak
Butternut, Hubbard and delicata keep into deep winter.
Root Vegetables Peak
Beets, carrots, parsnips, rutabagas and sunchokes.
Spinach Peak
Grown all winter in NMSU-pioneered high tunnels.
Pistachios
Tularosa Basin groves; in-shell keeps fresh for months.
Salad Greens
Tatsoi, mustard greens and microgreens from high tunnels.
Onions & Garlic
Cured summer bulbs stored and sold through winter.
Stored Apples
Mountain-orchard fruit (High Rolls) held past harvest.
Hardy Herbs
Rosemary, sage, oregano and mint — hardy or tunnel-grown.
Chile Vegetable Fruit Nut Legume Herb Other Peak = at its best right now
Grown Nowhere Else Quite Like Here
New Mexico Originals
Hot days, cool nights and intense high-desert sun concentrate flavor in a handful of crops that define New Mexico’s table — some available fresh only briefly, others worth seeking out all year.
Hatch Green ChileAug–Sep
NMSU-bred pods roasted in barrel drums — the smell of roasting chile signals fall across the state.
Red Chile & RistrasSep–Oct
Green pods left to ripen turn deep red, then are strung into sun-drying ristras through fall.
PecansNov–Dec
New Mexico is the #2 US pecan state; Doña Ana County alone grows about 70% of the crop.
Sweet OnionsJun–Aug
NMSU-bred short-day onions make NM a top US fresh-onion state, harvested late May through August.
Desert MelonsJul–Sep
Hot days and cool nights in the Mesilla & Pecos valleys concentrate the sugars in famously sweet melons.
PiñonSep–Nov
Hand-gathered from the state tree; a good stand yields big only every few years, making them prized.
Pinto BeansSep–Oct
Estancia Valley dryland pintos fed Allied Europe through two world wars — still a NM staple.
Wine GrapesAug–Oct
Franciscans planted Mission grapes here in 1629, making New Mexico the oldest wine region in the US.
Availability shifts with elevation and weather — northern mountain valleys run a few weeks behind the southern Mesilla Valley. Find what’s fresh near you at a New Mexico farmers’ market.