What's in season
Nine regions, four seasons
Pick where you are. The season defaults to the next cycle, but you can look ahead — planning a winter solstice run in October is exactly the right instinct.
Your region
Season
These are working lists, not guarantees. A late frost or a wet August rearranges everything, which is rather the point — go and see what's actually on the table.
How much to buy
Juicing eats more than anyone expects
The most common first-cycle mistake is running out of produce halfway through day one and finishing on toast. Work it out before you shop.
Where to look
In the order you should try them
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Free
Your own yard
Even a neglected one. Dandelion, nettle, and volunteer greens are all juicable and all free, and if you have a fruit tree you inherited from a previous owner, this is the weekend it finally earns its keep.
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Free
Other people's yards
Fruit goes unpicked on an enormous scale. A note on a neighbourhood group offering to pick and share almost always gets takers, and gleaning networks exist in most metro areas specifically to connect the two sides.
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Cheapest
U-pick and seconds
Ask any farm stand what they do with seconds — bruised, odd-shaped, or overripe produce that won't sell. It is often a third of the price and completely irrelevant to juice, since you're destroying the shape anyway.
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Reliable
CSA shares
The most dependable route, and the one that needs the most lead time. Many fill by spring. If you're reading this well before a cycle, this is the box to tick now rather than later.
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Easiest
Certified farmers markets
Certified markets require growers to sell what they actually grow, and you can ask to see the certificate. That single question separates a real grower from a reseller trucking in wholesale produce.
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Backstop
The grocery store
If the local version genuinely isn't going to happen this cycle, buy what you can and do it anyway. A Fresh Start done imperfectly beats one postponed to a season that never comes. Fix the sourcing next time.
The grower is right there. Ask them.
What to say
Asking about spray, without being odd about it
Most people never ask because they don't know the words and don't want to imply an accusation. Growers are almost always happy to answer. Here is the script.
The opener
"I'm doing a juice reset in a couple of weeks and I'll be drinking a lot of this — can you tell me about your spray programme?"
Why it works: it explains the reason, which turns an interrogation into a conversation. Nobody minds a customer who's about to buy fifteen pounds.
Good answers
- "Nothing at all on the greens — we only spray the orchard, and not since June."
- "OMRI-listed products only." That's the organic-input review list; it means what's applied is permitted in certified organic growing.
- "We're Certified Naturally Grown." A peer-reviewed standard for small farms who can't justify the USDA paperwork.
- A specific, slightly boring answer with dates in it. Detail is the signal.
Answers to follow up on
- "It's all natural." A description of nothing. Ask what they actually apply.
- "Pesticide-free" with no mention of fungicides or herbicides — those are separate categories.
- Any hesitation about which field a crop came from. That can mean it was bought in.
One thing worth knowing
Small growers often exceed organic standards without certifying, because certification costs money and paperwork they'd rather spend on the farm. "Not certified" is not the same as "sprayed." Ask, and take the answer at face value.
Next
You know where the food is coming from
The pamphlet has the regional lists in print, the shopping worksheet, and the hour-by-hour for both days. It's free, and we'll remind you once a week before the date.