What's In Season: August

August delivers the crescendo of summer harvest across Canada, with sweet corn at peak sweetness, field tomatoes abundant, peaches and plums wrapping up gloriously, peppers and beans thriving, and pears joining the bounty. Markets overflow with the season’s richest flavours.

Availability varies significantly by province, weather, and year. What you see at a BC farmers’ market may differ from an Ontario grocer or Quebec field. Use our What’s in Season chart as a general guide, and check your local grocer and farmers’ market for specifics in your region.

Fresh in August (Peak Harvest Crops)

These local field crops are abundant in August:

Beets: August -Late September. What’s in Season? Beets
Bell Peppers (field): August–October. What’s in Season? Bell Peppers
Broccoli: June-October in Quebec, Ontario and BC. What’s in Season? Broccoli
Cabbage: July-September. What’s in Season? Cabbage
Carrots: August -late September. Carrots are the fourth largest vegetable crop in Canada and mostly grown in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. What’s in Season? Carrots
Cauliflower: June-October. What’s in Season? Cauliflower
Cucumbers (field): Peak abundance. What’s in Season? Cucumbers
Eggplant (field crop): July through September. What’s in Season? Eggplant
Garlic: Abundance July-September. What’s in Season? Garlic
Green Onions: June – November, Green onions are predominantly grown in the muck fields (drained swampland) of Quebec and Ontario (Holland Marsh), but they are also produced in Nova Scotia, BC and the prairie provinces. What’s in Season? Green Onions
Green/Wax Beans: Abundant July-September. What’s in Season? Green and Wax Beans
Lettuce (Head/Leaf): Mid June- Mid October in Quebec, Ontario and BC. What’s in Season? Lettuce
Peas (snow/snap/shelled): June–October in Ontario, Quebec, BC. What’s in Season? Fresh Green Peas
Sweet Corn: Peak July-September across Ontario, Quebec, BC, and Atlantic; pick ears with tight, dark green husks for maximum sweetness. What’s in Season? Corn
Tomatoes: August–October peak; Ontario, Quebec, BC field-grown replace greenhouses. What’s in Season? Tomatoes
Turnip: July-October. What’s in Season? Turnip

These local fruit crops define August’s spectacular bounty:

Apricot: Late July-August in BC, Okanagan, Ontario, Niagara. What’s in Season? Apricots
Blueberries (wild/cultivated): July peak in BC, Atlantic, and Ontario wild areas. What’s in Season? Blueberries
Cherries (sweet/tart): Late June–August in BC (Okanagan), Ontario (Niagara); early varieties lead. What’s in Season? Cherries
Haskaps: late June – early July. What’s in Season? Haskaps
Nectarines: August – September in the southern interior of British Columbia and southern Ontario What’s in Season? Nectarines
Peaches (continued peak): July–early September in Ontario (Niagara), BC (Okanagan). What’s in Season? Peaches
Pears (Bartlett, early): August–September in BC (Okanagan), Ontario. What’s in Season? Pears
Plums (continued): July–September; Ontario and BC. What’s in Season? Plums
Raspberries: July–September peak. What’s in Season? Raspberries
Saskatoon berries: Late June to Early July and even into late July, depending on location and conditions. What’s in Season? Saskatoon Berries
Strawberries (field-grown peak): June–July across Ontario, Quebec, BC (Fraser Valley), and Atlantic; U-pick season starts. What’s in Season? Strawberries
Table Grapes: August-September; Ontario, BC, Quebec, Nova Scotia. What’s in Season? Table Grapes